Internet Activity 11/11/11

synopsis of Faust:
THE learned Dr. Faust has taken for his province all knowledge. He is honored by students who come from afar; he is revered by the townspeople to whose ills he ministers. But the farthur he pursues his studies the more he is convinced of the futility of man.

Mephistopheles, knowing Faust's dissatisfaction, makes a wager with the Lord that he, the Devil, can win Faust's soul. Thus it comes about that Faust in his experiments with the supernatural conjures up the Devil himself. Mephistopheles proposes that he will enable Faust to experience all pleasures the world has to offer, providing that, if Faust shall wish to hold any passing moment for further enjoyment, in that moment he shall die and become the Devil's own. Faust readily assents and signs a written compact with a drop of blood.

The two set out to see Life and, in order that Faust may better enjoy it, visit first a witch a drink of whose brew renews Faust's youth. With renewed youth comes interest in romance and Faust demands that Mephisto procure for himn the love of the innocent Margaret whom he has just seen leaving the cathedral. Margaret's purity and faith in her lover make her an easy prey for Mephisto, and she is soon the talk of the town. The gossip reaches the ears of her soldier brother, Valentine, who swears to kill her seducer. Under Mephisto's guidance, Faust, instead, kills Valentine and is forced to flee.

Too late Faust learns the awful sequel, that Margaret has been condemned to death for the murder of her mother and drowning of her babe. He insists that Mephistopheles must rescue her. The best the devil can do is to get Faust the jailer's keys. Half crazed with remorse and grief, Margaret is slow to respond to Faust's attempt at rescue. When at last Mephisto rises through the floor of the cell to bid Faust hurry, a fleeting moment of sanity reveals him to Margaret in his true likeness. Casting herself on the mercy of the Lord she bids Faust go forever.

The second part relates Faust's adventures at an emperor's court; in the underworld where he has gone in pursuit of the Grecian Helen; and in many other imaginative scenes. Gradually there is born in him the consciousness that through service to humanity one lives in the memory of mankind forever. He undertakes work for the benefit of others and thus finally comes to his supreme moment. Mephistopheles is about to claim his prey, but in that moment the angels of the Lord intervene. Faust, through the sincerity of his love for Margaret and his desire to help humanity has been the means of his own redemption. Source:WWW.TheatreHistory.com

synopsis of Damn Yankees:
DAMN YANKEES is the only successful musical comedy built around the American national pastime of baseball--the baseball story neatly combined with the age-old Faust theme. Joe Hardy is a middle-aged, happily married baseball fan. He is found in his living-room watching a game over the television. Joe is in the depths of despair, for his favorite team, the Washington Senators, seems incapable of getting a winning stride. Suddenly the devil, in the person of Applegate, visits him with a proposition: Would Joe be willing to trade his soul if the Senators won not only the pennant but also the World Series? Joe is more than willing; he has never put much stock in his soul in the first place. Suddenly Joe sheds years. More than that, he has magically acquired singular powers as a baseball player. Meanwhile, Van Buren, manager of the Senators, tries to build up his team's morale ("Heart"). It is a hopeless job, for the Senators can hardly expect that their new rookie, Joe Hardy, could be of any use in lifting them from their habitual doldrums. But Joe proves the spark plug necessary to send the team flying at full speed for victory after victory.

Things may be rosy for the team, but Joe is in black despair. He misses his wife, Meg, sorely. His conscience also bothers him: he has disappeared from home without leaving a clue to his whereabouts. He tries to lift his spirits by renting a room in her house just to be near her. But this only tantalizes him further, since he is unable to tell Meg that he is really her husband, alive and well.

Applegate, alias the devil, once again steps into the picture. In an effort to win Joe completely away from his wife, Applegate enlists the services of Lola, a beautiful witch, to capture Joe's heart. Lola coquettishly tells Joe that she is in the habit of getting anything she goes ofter ("Whatever Lola Wants"). She then performs a seductive mambo ("Who's Got the Pain?").

The Washington Senators, with Joe as star, come out on top in their league. The World Series is at hand. Despite the team's success, and despite Lola's wiles, Joe misses his wife and wants to get back to her. Suddenly he realizes that if he does not play in the World Series the Senators cannot win; and if the Senators cannot win the World Series his bargain with the devil is broken. Thus Joe manages to keep his soul, lose Lola, return once again to his wife and once again assume the unexciting identity of a middle-aged baseball fan.

Damn Yankees was the second and last of the two musical comedies in which Richard Adler and Jerry Ross collaborated on music and lyrics, the first having been The Pajama Game. Like its eminent predecessor, Damn Yankees stayed on Broadway for over a thousand performances, the ninth musical to join this select circle. With two such resounding triumphs coming in rapid succession, Adler and Ross became one of the most promising song-and-words teams to hit Broadway since Rodgers and Hart. Tragically, this fruitful partnership was destined to come to an abrupt end when Jerry Ross died in 1955 of chronic bronchiectasis at the age of twenty-nine. Source:WWW.TheatreHistory.com

modern American:
In today's society a modern American character. If it is a man he would sell his soul to be rich,be famous in sports, have expensive cars, and to have a lot of beautiful girls. If it is a Women it would be to be famous, meet a rich man, have expensive clothes, shoes, and jewelry. I say this because in our society today people want to make quick money so they don't have to work for it. Also in our society most people all they think about is being rich and famous. I think in the end the character would try to find a way out after they start getting older and tried of be famous and be bothered. But then again some would want to stay in it because they would love their life even though they going to hell because the devil got their soul.

9-11

These pictures I have chosen represent 9-11. The first picture I chose represents 9-11 because before 9-11 just like in the picture everybody was happy and doing their daily routines like going to work or just spending time with their family. The second picture I chose represents people running away from debris and thick smoke because when 9-11 happen the twin towers fell and cause debris and smoke. The last picture I chose is a broken heart with bandage on it because it represents the hearts of those who lost love ones in 9-11 and their hearts are healing slowly. I can truly say 9-11 is a day that will never be forgotten .