Taming of the Shrew

I just finished watching Taming of the Shrew- a marvelous production, if I do say so myself. Although, I must say the message was slightly mixed. I couldn't decide whether it was telling women to be shrewish to get men, so they have to tame you, or to be tame from the beginning, so men will love you. I don't get Shakespeare sometimes...

I'm not going to lie: I was torn on my feelings for Kate in the show. I mean, she was a perfectly awful person who just went around being mean to people and such, but if you think about it, her life couldn't have been a picnic exactly. How did she become a shrew? I hardly think she was born as one. She had to live with a beautiful sister whom her father clearly adored, and who suitors lined up around the block for. I'm sure she got the "lesser sister/daughter" treatment from birth, which might have been why she was so peevish all the time.

When Petruccio started to break her, I started feeling bad for her. Even though she had been a jerk in acts and scenes past, I didn't feel she deserved to be "broken" and was saddened to see it happen. Kate's speech at the end about women's obedience to men was especially unnerving for me, and I'm still trying to figure out why. Maybe it was Petruccio's braggadocio about his wife's obedience that really made me angry-- Kate's wasn't the only one with faults that needed to be made better. No, I'm not a feminist.

Then again, I couldn't help thinking that it was a game for Kate. When she finally decides to start obeying his commands no matter what he says, (because it's either follow them or go back) it seems there is a bit of a twinkle in her eye. I think it finally dawns on her that she is stuck with this man at least for the next little while, although probably the rest of her life, and she better make the best of it. The best way she knows how to do so is to play the game he proposes. I also can't help thinking that the bet at the end between the three men is set up by Kate and Petruccio before they get there. It would make more sense to me and would soothe my feelings that Kate was now just a mindless, obedient slave.

Was Kate's character at the end the kind of woman Shakespeare really wanted? Is she the kind of woman men want?

Relationships between men and women at BYU-I

I was hanging out with my roommate, Lisa, the other night, and we started talking about guys. However, it was more in depth than your usual conversation that goes something like this: "Like, oh my gosh! I totally like like _(insert name of latest crush here)__."

This time we got to talking about how guys on campus are players, to a certain extent, and how they're encouraged to be that way. This pressure comes from all sorts of places, including bishops and devotional speakers. Also, everyone knows the guy-to-girl ratio at BYU-I is definitely in the guy's favor, and we definitely agreed that the ratio is part of the reason they might seem like players.

We also agreed that those two things are probably part of the reason more guys get married at BYU-I than girls. I know it might seem like a "duh" thing, but we came up with reasons why this happens. Not only are they encouraged to be players, but with the odds the way they are, it's more likely they'll get married because they have more single girls to choose from and match with. It just statistically makes sense.

Then we talked about how most girls on BYU-I campus tend to chase guys — one at a time. She focuses her efforts on one guy to have a crush on and doesn't look up from him during the entire semester. Since the odds are already fighting against her, she handicaps herself even more by only focusing on one guy.

The ironic part of this whole conversation was when we realized that women are usually the ones who can multi-task, and men are usually the ones who have a hard time listening to their wives and watching the game at the same time.

So, women who are single and looking, throw your line in more places! If the odds seem to be working against you, tip them in your favor.

Men, keep on keepin' on. Even though some people might see you as players for asking out a different girl every weekend, it's a good way for you to get to know a lot of people and increase your chances of finding "The One" — wherever she is.

Getting to know me

Since I've entered the world of blogging, I've decided to give a little introduction to my site for those of you who don't already know me.

I'm a communication major with an emphasis in journalism and on my school's newspaper, which is partly why I decided to start a blog.

My minor is sociology and my sociology classes will probably provide a lot of fodder...I mean, material...for my posts. Right now I'm taking Introduction to Sociology (online), Introduction to Criminal Justice, Drugs and Society, and Ethnic Relations.

I'm from a large family and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which will probably also be a part of my arguments and posts.

Everything else I'm sure you'll figure out as my number of posts grow. Happy reading!