Why Beckett’s Waiting for Godot has been Popular among Prisoners

Why Beckett’s "Waiting for Godot" has been Popular among Prisoners

Abstract
This paper aims at investigating the issues and reasons behind the wide popularity of the Drama Waiting for Godot among prisoners since its publication. The author will study the case of Rick Cluchey and make an outline of the topic in brief.

Introduction
The drama Waiting for Godot was written in 1948 in French language, first performed in 1953, and the English translation came out in 1955. This one of the most famous drama in English literature possesses significance for a very distinct issue: its popularity among prisoners. The prisoners found the meaning of the drama quite suitable and fruitful for their own lives. They were successfully able to connect the coded message of the drama with their own.
The story of its popularity has been described shortly in the narration below.

The Case of Rick Cluchey
On November 19 1957, when Rick Cluchey, a life sentenced prisoner for armed robbery and kidnapping, was locked in a cell in San Quentin Prison serving, members of the Actor’s Workshop from San Francisco performed Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot in the prison’s massive dining hall.
Alan Mandell, the then company’s manager remarks that there were about 1,500 inmates there, but it was a pin fallen silent in the room. Herb Blau, the company’s principal director, had explained to the inmates that the play was about what we do while we are waiting—waiting for Godot—which for some people represents the end and nothingness; for others it may be God and salvation. He adds that he was able to make the prisoners understood about the theme of the play. The result was subsequent:  prisoners were marking the play to be astounding with applause, scream and shout.

Cluchey was unable to see the performance as he was locked in his cell, but he managed to listen to it over the prison’s P.A. system. Being encouraged by the pay, in the subsequent months, Cluchey and a small group of inmates formed the San Quentin Drama Workshop. They asked for coaching to Alan Mandell. The first play staged by the fledgling company was Waiting for Godot. In 1957, Rick Cluchey performed the drama for inmates. He continued his work in the prison till 1966.

                                                                                

Why Beckett’s "Waiting for Godot" has been Popular among Prisoners

With the aid of Mandell and Blau, Cluchey’s case came under review, and with due consideration, he was released on parole. In its new incarnation, outside the walls of San Quentin, the company flourished and gained particular notoriety for its productions of the plays of Samuel Beckett. Cluchey and Beckett had never met, but Beckett was well aware of the San Quentin Drama Workshop and its unusual relationship to his plays.

The incident of the production of Waiting for Godot by a cast of inmates from San Quentin Prison was studied in Godot in San Quentin (1987). It took the Producer and director of this film, John Reilly and a crew four weeks with the maximum-security facility to conduct rehearsal and performance sequences intercut with footage of daily prison life and discussions with the principal characters.

Cluchey made his historical remarks about the drama to Los Angeles Times that while the rest of the world had trouble to understand the message of the drama, but everyone in San Quentin understood it.

Conclusion
To cut a long story short, the drama Waiting for Godot chiefly acted by two characters: Didi and Gogo made its appeal to the prisoners for various reasons including the structure, dialogue, stage, and finally the theme or the message. The drama symbolizes that the meaning of life is mere waiting for “Godot”.
Who else will realize the hardship of waiting other than the prisoners?

Works Cited 

Beckett's prison protege: the inmate who became a top interpreter of writer's work, 2016, thegurdian.com

Samuel Beckett in Prison, Farber J, 2016, centertheatregroup.org

Waiting for Godot at San Quentin, 2016, Jackson S, the goodmanproject.com

When 'Waiting for Godot' played San Quentin, 2003, www.sfgate.com

 

Contributed by: MD.DIDARUL ISLAM 

Read more: Cultures without Borders in the Globalized World   Identifying Linguistic Development of a 33 Months Old Bengali Child in Bangla Language

Cultures without Borders in the Globalized World

                  Cultures without Borders in the Globalized World 

The whole world is becoming globalized so is its culture. This uprising phenomenon can bring about a positive change in the cultural practice of the world. Culture is the complexion of feeling, thought, taste, custom, art, behavior and tradition that defines a particular society or group. This is a mental sentiment which leads a person to carry an individual identity. This world has an infinite number of cultures practiced by its dwellers. These cultures have been created by the people who are living in different geographical locations. Nowadays, these cultures are exchanged among the people through the blessing of globalization. However, globalization is a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. This process promotes interaction and integration among the people, companies, cultures, and governments of different nations. (globalization101.org). 
                                                                      

Culture without Borders

Cultures have had hardly cared about borders from the very beginning of human civilization. Borderlines have been created for some specified or unspecified reasons like to restrict the illegal migration, making own sovereignty, dominating other nations etc. Cultures with borders have always been a controversial issue. The term “Globalization” has added more to its vagueness and ambiguity. Globalization gives room to the integration of cultures among people in a very easy way. On the other hand, borderlines are making it difficult for the common people to meet themselves for sharing their tastes and customs. As globalization has provided human being with some tremendous technological advancements, a single borderline can no more hinder people from meeting each-other and exchange their cultures. 

Nowadays, people can practice and gather knowledge about different cultures with a few clicks only. For example, a Bangladeshi student can learn about Thai language and culture using the advantage of internet and information technology. He or she does not necessarily need to be physically present in Thailand to know about the people and their lives there. An Indian woman can follow American dressing style or make Egyptian foods even staying in her native country. Information technologies have made the barriers of borderlines somewhat inactive for the people. As a result, cultures with borders in this globalized world is a revolutionary idea which has brought people closer than ever before. It is high time human being took highest advantage out of it. 

People always loved to be free like birds. In consequence, they always tried to innovate new ways to be free as they wanted. They always got the border lines as the obstacles before their wish. In this world, there are different types of people of different characteristics e.g. inquisitive, lugubrious, introvert, extrovert and so forth. However, it is evident that each and everyone wants to experience an unknown culture which is practiced by different communities. Coming contact with a different culture not only increases our experience but also broadens our outlook which is very much needed in this world of diversity. Practicing different cultures clears our dogmas, makes us tolerant; and only then we become a true citizen of the world.     

Cultures give the identity of peoples. For instance, a Bangladeshi person can be identified by his or her activities which are distinct in the characteristics and tastes of Bangladeshi people. Same happens in terms of other nations. When people come in contact with peers from another nation, it gives him or her the opportunity to know his or her own identity more from a different perspective. Moreover, studying cultures of the people of different parts of the world has become a good topic of this era, and for this, the credit goes to globalization.    

To cut a long story short, if it comes about 21st century, the current situation of this world is very volatile where political entities or legal institutions such as governments, sovereign states, federated states etc. often influence cultures to separate people from each other. Consequently, new generations are emerging keeping this detrimental idea in mind.  

To conclude, people no more have the sentiment to remain separate as individual nation in different geographical parts of this globalized world; rather they want to adjust with each-other. Apart from that, they are likely to be free from the border lines to make a better world to live in. It is totally remissible from the human perspective to not enact the proper motives which are enlisted for the term "globalization". Finally, we hope, globalization will create the world without borders to make the world realistically a small village. 

Reference 

http://www.globalization101.org/what-is-globalization/ 

Contributed By: 

Md. Jahid Hasan and

MD.DIDARUL ISLAM 

Read more: Cultures without Borders in the Globalized World   Identifying Linguistic Development of a 33 Months Old Bengali Child in Bangla Language

Identifying Linguistic Development of a 33 Months Old Bengali Child in Bangla Language

Identifying Linguistic Development of a 33 Months Old Bengali Child in Bangla Language

Index

1. Abstract

2. Keywords 

3. Background

4. Research Questions

5. Sources of Language Acquisition

6. Analysis of the Text

6.1. Stimulus-Response Theory

6.2. Imitation

6.3. Learned language

6.4. Language from television

6.5. Phonetic and phonological production

6.6. Morphological production

6.6.1. Noun

6.6.2. Pronoun

6.6.3. Verb

6.6.4. Adverb

6.6.5. Adjective

6.6.6. Preposition, Conjunction, Interjection

6.7. Syntactical Production

6.7.1. Tense

6.7.2. Creativity

6.8. Semantical Production

6.8.1. Differentiation among words

7.  Method

8. Literature Review

9. Conclusion

10. Works Cited

11. Appendix

1. Abstract

This paper aims at investigating the language production in Bangla language by a Bengali child aged around 33 months. Based on a close and real-life observation, the paper will linguistically analyze the language produced by the child. Critical comment will be made on the produced language according to psycholinguistic approach.

2. Keywords: Language, Development, Acquisition, Child, Psycholinguistics.

3. Background

Language development is a process which starts early in human life. By 10 months, infants start babbling without knowing a language. They can distinguish speech sounds and engage in babbling. Some researches have shown that the earliest learning begins in utero when the fetus starts to recognize the sounds and speech patterns of its mother's voice and differentiate them from other sounds after birth. (Graven, Stanley N.; MD; Browne, Joy V. , 2008)

However, in this paper, our approach is to analyze the Bangla language production by a toddler with the application of existing theories. The toddler selected for the research is a 33 months old boy. He is acquiring or learning Bangla as his first language. His parents are tenants at the researcher's home. Thus, the researcher has a very close access to the child, and he gets the opportunity to observe the language behavior of the child regularly. Only some of the samples of the produced language by the child are transcribed here in the appendix part.

However, the child spends most of his daytime at the researcher's home and his night time with parents. He also watches Television programs e.g. Bangla movies with his parents. Moreover, the child moves around with fellow children with his locality, and therefore his language is also influenced by them.

4. Research Questions

This paper will look for answers to the undermentioned questions:

1.      What are the sources of language acquisition of the selected child?

2.      How was the stimulus-response behavior of the child?

3.      How was the grammatical state of the produced language?

4.      What difficulties the child is facing at this stage of language acquisition?

5.      What are the recommendations for sound language production of the child?

                                                                    

Fist Language Acquisition

5. Sources of Language Acquisition:

Name of the child: Tamim                                                          Date of Birth: 06-06-2015

Tamim's language repertoire is mainly influenced by the four persons whom he spends most of his time with. Language profile of those four persons are given below:

Father's Name: Abul Hossain                                                    Profession: Garment worker

Language Repertoire: Bangla (Narayanganjian local dialect)     Mobile:01998449794

Mother's Name: Akhi Akter                                                      Profession: Housewife

Language Repertoire: Bangla (Barishalian local dialect)            Mobile:

Companion's Name (Researcher's mother): Jakia Begum         Profession: Housewife

Language Repertoire: (Narayanganjian local dialect)                  Mobile: 01671427016

Companion's Name (Researcher's father): Mokter Hossain Profession: Employee          Language Repertoire: Bangla (Standard and Narayanganjian local dialect) Mobile: 01673620173 

Moreover, watching television, listening to music on mobile phone and playing with local kids are also Tamim's sources of language acquisition.

6. Analysis of the Text:

6.1. Stimulus-response behavior

Stimulus-response theory is an important concept in modern psychology. It is any form of conditioning in which a specific stimulus comes to be paired with a particular response in the mind of the subject. The most common applications of stimulus-response theory are in classical and operant conditioning. The pioneers of stimulus-response theory are Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson, and B.F. Skinner. (enotes.com)

Stimulus-Response behavior was seen in Tamim for several times. In scenario 1, when Tamim saw the mobile phone, he wanted to touch it and see his own face on camera. Sometimes, when Tamim is told to talk to the researcher's sister in a video call, he rather pays attention to his own face on the mobile screen.  

In scenario 6, Tamim used a disrespectful pronoun "tui" towards the researcher. Afterwards, when the researcher scolded him, he stared to behave politely and tried to create intimacy with the researcher.                                                                                                                 

                 

6.2. Imitation

Tamim calls the researcher's father with the same nick name (Lalu) Tamim is called by that person (scenario 1). He simply copies the word and applies with the appropriate person. He answers for the positive response using the word "hoy" as his mother uses so. (Scenario 7)

While his parents quarrel with each other, Tamim's father scolds his mother calling, a bad word, "khanki" meaning "whore"(Scenario 8). That is how Tamim learned to use the bad word during quarrelling or arguing with people.

6.3. Learned language

In scenario 1, Tamim was able to say his father's name only when he was reminded the name. Actually, he was taught his father's name before, but could not recall it. He also answered that he would study in Madrasa for the same reason.

6.4. Language from television and multimedia

Once it was noticed that Tamim was talking to himself and singing alone. When the researcher paid attention to his words, he could understand that Tamim was singing a Bangla song which he listens to most (Scenario 3). The verse was "Boro mishty lage kache ele..eeeee"

6.5. Phonetical and phonological production

Tamim can produce all the 11 vowel sounds in Bangla. By contrast, he has difficulty with pronouncing some of the consonant sounds, for example, aspirated sounds. He can utter at least 25 consonant sounds.

He could not produce the sound [V] as in "Baiya" and "Alu Borta" (Scenario 1).  Here, he also faced difficulty to utter the complex sound (Abul Hossain) of his father's name, so he simplified it as [abuloshen]. In scenario 6, he could utter "Dekina" instead of "Dekhina".

6.6. Morphological production

6.6.1. Noun

Like most other children the grammatical element Tamim is learning is noun-vocabulary. He can produce all kinds of nouns including common, proper, possessive, abstract, concrete etc., but it seems that he has not learnt yet to produce compound nouns.

Samples: Tamim, Lalu, babu, Api, cha, muri, beda, bedi, byatha, bari, apigo khat etc. 

6.6.2. Pronoun

It has been found that Tamim produces all kinds of pronouns except reflexive and relative pronouns. Also, he has not learnt the hierarchy of respect in pronoun yet. For example, he cannot say “eta amar nijer bari” or “Unar nam ki?”

Samples: Tui, oi, tumi, amar, hego(tader)

6.6.2.1. Use of hierarchy marker in personal pronoun

At one point of scenario1, the boy gets angry and uses the Bangla verb "Char" which represents the symbol of his uneasiness. He has learnt to express anger using respect or disrespect marker in Bangla verb which are of three types: "char, charo, charen". Again, in scenario 6, he said "tor charge chutaiya lamu" beacause of the scolding by the researcher.

6.6.3. Verb

Compared to English, the verbal system in Bangla is simpler. Tamim is acquiring the simple verbs and with inflexions of number, tense etc. as well. He has not acquired long and phrasal verbs yet.  

Samples: Jamu, maira lamu, Dekhi, jaa, poira gese etc.

6.6.4. Adverb

Tamim has already acquired a few adverbs (Scenario 9).

Samples: [Emun koira, aste aste jay. May ase na amare jore jore masse]

6.6.5. Adjective

In Tamim’s language repertoire, there are some significant attributive adjectives which he uses to serve his emotions while talking to people.

Samples: valo, shundor, Khacchor,Shoytan, boro etc.

6.6.6. Preposition, Conjunction, Interjection

Tamim lacks this category of words because of complexity. Acquiring this category of words requires active sense of grammatical faculty of human brain.

Samples: Dail ar bat, Si! Si! Iss!. 

6.7. Syntactical Production

The kid cannot produce optative, exclamatory, complex and long compound sentences.

6.7.1. Tense

Tamim has already learnt the three simple tenses: present, past and future. Day by day, he is getting acquainted with the complex tense system and trying to produce more complex sentences. In scenario 5, Tamim used a future-word "jaiga" meaning "I'm going to go". In scenario 6, "tor charge chuutaiya lamu" meaning "I will tear up your headphone"

6.7.2. Creativity

Tamim's language creativity is so amazing that in Scenario 4, he was seen to tell the fellow children [bangla kotha bojhona polapan?] meaning "Don't you understand Bangla words, kids?" because the children were not following his orders. The source of this long sentence was probably his mother. The researcher noticed that sometimes Tamim's mother asks Tamim "Bangla kotha bojhona tui, ay?". Thus, Tamim borrowed the sentence from his mother and replaced the final word "tui" by "polapan"

6.8. Semantical Production

Sometimes Tamim produces some words and sentences which are even ambiguous to the listeners and even to him. He sometimes does not understand the words told to him by his mother or else, but he tries his best to understand. For example, Tamim has learnt some bad words “khacchor (meaning messy)” and “buira beda (meaning old man)”. He uses these bad words in inappropriate contexts i.e. irrespective of time, place, gender and person.

6.8.1. Differentiation among words

At first in scenario 1, Tamim fails to differentiate between his father’s name "Abul Hossain" and the proper noun "Baba" as he calls his father by the later word. Again, in scenario 6, he used the word "charge (charger)" for the object "headphone". 

7. Method

The research has been conducted using both the qualitative and quantitative method. A 33 months old kid was observed very closely and his interview was also taken. Some the footages of the interview have been transcribed in the appendix part.

For the formation of the paper, the standard set by American psychological Association (APA) was followed. The researcher had to use video-audio recorder and other related technologies for collecting data. 

As part of the quantitative method, the collected data were analyzed and critical comments were made.   

8. Limitations

It should be admitted that the study has a lot of limitations. Firstly, the research is based on a single interview and observation by one individual Bangla speaking children. Secondly, child language production cannot be studied properly using the linguistic approach solely as language production also requires clinical analysis. Thirdly, there is still lack of literature on child language production in Bangla language. Finally, the language the child is learning is not the “Standard Bangla”, and therefore there might be some possibility of differences between the standard Bangla and the dialect the child speaks.

As a result, there is still possibility of generalization on the critical comments made on the research.

9. Conclusion

It is very crystal on the paper that Tamim is in a transition period from his mumbling stage to proper fluency of language. Day by day, he is learning Bangla faster than the previous day and becoming fluent.

To cut a long story short, the paper has been successful to answer all the 5 questions of the research. It is suggested that further research may bring more fruitful outcome in the field so that the literature of Child language production by Bengali children in Bangla language gets enriched.

10. Works Cited

English-grammar-revolution.com, Accessed 14 Feb. 2018.

Graven, Stanley N.; MD; Browne, Joy V. (December 2008). "Auditory development in the fetus and infant". Newborn and Infant Nursing Reviews. 8 (4) – via Brain Development of the Neonate.

Ucl.ac.uk, Accessed 14 Feb. 2018.

"What is the stimulus-response theory in psychology?" eNotes, 7 Apr. 2016, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-stimulus-response-theory-psychology-674442. Accessed 14 Feb. 2018.

11. Appendix

Scenario 1

Tamim: [Lalu! lalu! (calling my father, in front of him, by the name my father calls him), babu, Taaamim (seeing his own face on camera and calling by his own name), deko! deko!]

Researcher: [tor abbur nam ki?]

Tamim: [Baba (as he calls his father by this name), babu! Tamim! (again, calling his own self)]

(behind the camera, my mother is pressing him to say his father's name which she taught Tamim before)

Tamim: [Dekhona dak dey kemne(he is paying attention to the camera). Abuloshen. Abuloshen(said his father name at last)]

Researcher: [Tor ammur nam ki?]

Tamim: [Baiya!! Chacchu! Baiya!(not giving heed to the question)]

Researcher: [Tui dupure ki dia vat khaisos?]

Tamim: [Alu Borta (not vorta)]

Researcher: [ar ki dia vat khaisos?]

Tamim: [murgi, eeeee…....lalu..........]

Tamim: [Tambabu tambabu(calling his own nickname), chaR(got angry)]

Researcher: [Tui boro hoye ki hobi? Chor na batpar? Na hujur hobi?]

Researcher: [tui boro hoye koi porbi?]

Tamim: [madrasay(as he was taught before)]

Scenario 2

Researcher: [eta ke(showing the camera)?]

Tamim: [tamim]

Researcher: [tamimer abbur nam ki?]

Researcher: [baba]

Tamim: [apigo khat, eida apigo khat na?(seeing a cot on mobile-screen through the back camera)]

Researcher: [kader khat?]

Tamim: [apigo khat]

Scenario 3

(talking to himself)

Tamim: [Boro mishty lage kache eleeeeee, mishty lage kache eleeeee (singing)]

Scenario 4

(talking to the fellow children loudly)

Tamim: [bangla kotha bojhona polapan?]

Scenario 5

Tamim: [eng..eng...........(mumbling and making ambiguous utterance)]

Researcher: [ki dekhbi?]

Tamim: [jaiga..]

Researcher: [koi jabi?]

Tamim: [basay]

Researcher: [ki korte jabi?]

Tamim: [futbol khelte]

Researcher: [ki korte, futbol khelte?]

Tamim: [….ummm......(leaves the room)]

Scenario 6

Researcher: [batti ki hoise?]

Tamim: [batti jole na]

Tamim: [keda, keda, keda, dekina. Dekhao (wants to see whether he was getting filmed as the previous day)]

Researcher: [na dekha jabe na]

Tamim:[kiise (what happened)?]

Tamim: [dekhao, dekhao. Arettu dekhao]

Tamim:(as the Researcher was not letting him to see, he got irritated and started threating).[tor charge(headphone) chutaiya lamu]

Researcher: (as he was behaving rudely, the Researcher scolded him)

Tamim: [ja...ja...tui....ja....]

Researcher: [tui bolli ken tui amare? Sahos boro hoiya gese?]

Tamim: [chacchu! ….....(after getting scolded started to behave politely)]

Scenario 7

Akhi: [kire kisu khaiso?]

Tamim: [Hoy] (acquired from his mother)!!

Scenario 8

A person: [hei, sor edik theika]

Tamim: [ja khanki, tore gullli maira lamu]

Scenario 9

Tamim: Naim e ase na emun koira aste aste jay.

Tamim: May ase na amare jore jore masse.

Contributed by:

MD.DIDARUL ISLAM

Read more: Cultures without Borders in the Globalized World    

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