Cast, here we start one of five little conversations that will go towards your valuing the musical experience mark.
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George Bernard Shaw observed there are two tragedies in life. He said, "One is not to get your heart's desire. the other is to get it." Discuss this quotation in terms of the structure of Into the Woods (MTI Study Guide, p. 13)
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The discussion will close on September 17
The discussion will close on September 17
Hello Cast, This is Ms. Engel.
ReplyDeletefor me, this idea of someone getting their heart's desire is a double edge sword. What if you get to your goal and it is not enough? What if you never get to your goal. The devastation that one can feel, creates a moment that make us freeze and not move forward. I personally have had my hearts desire taken away when I could no longer teach band and music. I was frozen. I didn't know who I was nor how I could move forward. My heart's desire made it difficult to imagine what I could actually do. It was a very hard, extremely hard time. I am lucky that I had friends and family to support me through this difficult time. Having a desire is important, but one must always keep a perspective.
An Example of response:
DeleteYou can take a quote from the post you are replying to like this... When you stated ..."What if you get to your goal and it is not enough? What if you never get to your goal? The devastation that one can feel, creates a moment that make us freeze and not move forward."
This made me remember
or
This brought a feeling of...
You could also make a personal connection
You could also disagree respectfully, if you this is the case, you should support your thinking in a positive reflection.
Hey guys, it’s Lindsy.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the idea of someone getting or not getting their hearts desire is about greed. In one case you could work all your life to get or become something- for whatever the reason may be, it’s irrelevant. After spending all that time and/or money, said person may feel unfulfilled, and envious of people who have what they want and are happy. It’s tragic to watch someone destroy everything they’ve built or everything they could become simply out of greed or envy. Or to make matters worse, someone may receive/work for everything they’ve ever wanted and constantly show it off, wearing their desire like a badge of honour.
On the other hand not reviving your hearts desire is very clearly linked with greed, a person might constantly be in a state of longing, as they see others with what they desire and can’t white reach it.
For me, I’m only 15 so the things I desire are still quite out of reach. But it’s the small things that spark the envious side of me, as I’m sure it does of many of you who are reading this comment. Things like seeing someone have a nice shirt and wishing you owned it, or wishing you were in Hawaii instead of being stuck at home.
Envy and greed aren’t always ugly terrible things that can define what kind of person you are from one comment or action. They’re like small seeds planted in our brains and can prosper if given the right environment-i.e. reviving or not receiving your hearts desire. And quite honestly, I can’t decide which is worse, receiving or being left without.
When you stated "It’s tragic to watch someone destroy everything they’ve built or everything they could become simply out of greed or envy. Or to make matters worse, someone may receive/work for everything they’ve ever wanted and constantly show it off, wearing their desire like a badge of honour. " I thought that the way you put it was exactly how I would've put it! Its so aggrevating seeing how greed affects how people act around others.
DeleteVery well put, Lindsy! I related the most to when you said " small things that spark the envious side of me" and " like seeing someone have a nice shirt and wishing you owned it, or wishing you were in Hawaii instead of being stuck at home". I too have thoughts through out my day with the same sort of greed in these quotations. Even if you are having the best day possible, you will always have these thoughts of things you could improve or wanting more. This is a very good example of how getting your heart's desire could be a tragedy.
DeleteI really like the angle you took about greed and envy. I hadn't thought of that while writing my analysis. I think you got it exactly right when you said "On the other hand not reviving your hearts desire is very clearly linked with greed, a person might constantly be in a state of longing, as they see others with what they desire and can’t quite reach it." I find that most people- myself included- look at all of the great things others have and never take a look inside at everything that we have. You may be envious of someone else but odds are that they are also envious of you for something else. As they say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
DeleteHey, it's Bryn!
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion , I think that the idea of someone getting or not getting their heart's desire is bittersweet. Basically, you always hear people saying what their dreams and desires are and how they try their entire lives to accomplish those dreams. What makes it such a difficult topic is that there is never a time when we are absolutely satisfied. You may get your heart's desire but once you have everything there's nothing left to motivate you to try and achieve new goals. On the other hand, when we don't get what we want or desire, we completely lose faith in ourselves and give up.
Personally, the things that I consider myself to desire in life are still far away. By that I mean that we are still young and haven't really experienced life to the same extent of others who have had their desires taken or given to them. Although, if we are talking about little things that we desire every day I can say that I find myself feeling either disappointed or joyful. For example, I feel like musical theatre is my passion and when I don't get my heart's desire like a certain role, I feel crushed. It's like I get so connected to that character and then it's just taken and given to somebody else. That's the bitter side, but when I see somebody else who is even more connected to that role and I can experience them enjoying being in the spot they are, that's when it get's sweet. I honestly think that both getting and not getting your heart's desire both have aspects that make them bittersweet, neither one nor the other.
allengjam@gmail.com
DeleteI’ve found that when you said “once you have everything there's nothing left to motivate you to try and achieve new goals. On the other hand, when we don't get what we want or desire, we completely lose faith in ourselves and give up.” I feel that would happen to a lot of people. I as well have been affected with it. A lot of the time I would think that I want to do something than when I try I would give up but if I try hard to complete a task I wonder what I am supposed to do next. Now I can’t think of anything to big. For one thing I try different projects in Computer Science. At times it is fun little challenge which would eventually end and at others to hard and want to quit.
I was moved when you said “What makes it such a difficult topic is that there is never a time when we are absolutely satisfied. You may get your heart's desire but once you have everything there's nothing left to motivate you to try and achieve new goals.” I felt it was a very powerful way of stating how many people feel about their hearts desire, I felt that way too and you found exactly how to phrase what I was feeling. I think the emotions you described affect a lot of people (and tied into my response about greed and envy). And you’re absolutely right it is bitter sweet because either way greed will worm its way into our feelings and we will be left feeling unfulfilled.
Delete-Lindsy
I really like that you added that the things you personally desire are still far away because it made me realize too that we are still young and have not had a chance yet to truly understand what our heart's want and to experience heart crushing disappointment (to an extent) or to know what it's like to love someone or something so much that your heart could beat out of you chest. We still have a lot to learn. -Keira
DeleteHey Bryn! I love how you didn't just talk about the comparison of the two tragedies, but rather the similarities between them- That neither will truly leave you satisfied and you can feel both positively and negatively about either if it were to happen to you. I can also relate to the frustration with not being able to obtain a certain role you really wanted yourself, but also being so happy for the person who got it and how amazing of a job they have done. In the past I've auditioned for musicals with a certain role in mind, and been initially disappointed if I didn't get the role, but by show night I always love seeing the person who was cast in that role bring it to life with their own unique twist.
Delete-Eve
Hi Bryn, I really loved how you talked about musical theatre being your passion but when you don’t get the role you want, you can feel upset. I can really relate to that and I also related to when you said that you realize that they really do it justice. I understand what you mean when you say both aspects of desire are bittersweet.
Delete-Camryn
Hey, it's Sydney.
ReplyDeleteI think that most people have a tendency to never be satisfied. This may involve greed or it may just be that there could be room for improvement or making something better, I think it all just depends on what your "heart's desire" actually is. I've heard many people say that it's not about the end result, it's about the journey that you take to get there. So maybe that could be what George Bernard Shaw meant when he said that one of the tragedies in life is getting your heart's desire. But this also doesn't mean that you CAN'T be satisfied or happy when you reach your hearts desire. I think that everyone has the right to be proud of what they've accomplished. Maybe something to keep in mind is to always have goals and never stop trying to be a better you.
In my life, I don't think I really have a "heart's desire" yet. Maybe at this point in my life I should be searching for it. Then once I find it and possibly achieve whatever it is my goal is, I can search for another. This way getting my heart's desire can never be a tragedy. Like I said before, I think there can be more than one heart's desire in our lives. Also, the way I see it, your goals and what you want in life don't have to be big, or difficult to achieve.
allengjam@gmail.com
DeleteThis is an interesting perspective when you said, “one of the tragedies in life is getting your heart's desire”. I think that there are problems finding what you want in life then the next is executing that goal. I for one have spent a lot of time thinking what I want which is just to entertain and attempt to do something I haven’t seen before. The biggest problem is that my family doesn’t believe in it or they haven’t studied some of the stuff I am interested in and at times I really like to help I would for the most part get the computers answer. There a challenge that I have overcome by just thinking why I want this. Most of the time is because of the past. Teachers or family told me I am good and over time I thought that it might be fun to try that out. As for trying new thing well I’ve liked the idea of things that might be possible that might be considered not real.
I agree, and I love your perspective on this. When you said “I think it all just depends on what your "heart's desire" actually is. I've heard many people say that it's not about the end result, it's about the journey that you take to get there” i found myself nodding my head. Because yes although people are greedy if you desire a hamburger from A&W then you buy one, what is there to be greedy of? Not to mention your point about the journey to get your desire. if someone has to struggle and go through extremely hard things to get their desire it may feel more deserved, but on the other hand they may be envious of those who didn’t have to struggle for their hearts desires. It’s all about perspective and I couldn’t agree more.
DeleteI agree with you that goals don't have to be big and difficult. I like the idea that we can have very small goals and keep making new ones every time we reach one. I believe that is the best way to avoid tragedy because if your goals are small, they are more insignificant. I also agree that it can be about more than just reaching your goal; the journey you take to get there can have a big impact on your life.
DeleteHi Sydney,
DeleteI really agree with your statement that said, “ I've heard many people say that it's not about the end result, it's about the journey that you take to get there.” I feel as though it’s very easy to get so focused on the end result that we forget to enjoy what’s actually going on around us. For example, last year my family took a train down to Montana to go skiing. I was so focused and so excited to get to the mountain and get on the slopes, that I hardly took the time to enjoy and watch the beautiful views that were out my window on the train. Instead of just appreciating where I was and the scenery around me, I was too focused on the thought of actually getting to Montana and to ski. I missed an entirely new and beautiful aspect of the trip.
After this trip, I really realized that I should enjoy where I am at all times, instead of only thinking about the destination.
Hi Sydney, this is Emma Lewis,
DeleteI like how you challenged the quote and played the devils advocate a little bit in your comment. I agree with when you said this "doesn't mean that you CAN'T be satisfied or happy when you reach your hearts desire." because it is true when we do well we should be proud and we should be happy but often that fades away all too quickly. I think the important thing is to always have new goals and to keep striving for better. Your comment is very well crafted and thought provoking and it gave me a new perspective on this quote.
allengjam@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI think that George Bernard’s idea of tragedy is very interesting. His ideas explain the tragedies which “…is not to get your heart’s desire. The other is to get it”. For me when he says that a tragedy is both obtaining and not obtaining your hearts desire I’ve found that those two ideas were very different from each other. I believe what he is attempting to explain about tragedy and how you don’t always get what you desire you’d be upset when you don’t get it. The problem also occurs when you get it this might not be exactly what you expected and won’t feel any better. At times you might be just as upset as before.
I could relate to both getting and not getting my hearts desire. A while ago I’ve wanted to play a roleplaying game with other people. For a while I’ve waited but was very impatient. It made me a little sad that they were still busy with their older campaign. The moment that I started to play with them it was bored and didn’t want to play as much. They rarely played, spends an hour of the time socializing. For me I enjoy making characters and would change them. When they play they start late, and the major problem is that I have things to do the next day.
Within the play In to the Woods I am going to be acting out the giant. I’ve found that there are similarities from the quote and the giant. The giant just lost what he desired which would be his wife. All though he isn’t getting or aren’t getting the desire the idea of losing the thing he loves is a lot and could be found as a sort of tragedy.
Hey Allen!
DeleteYour personal anecdote there really stuck out to me (perhaps it was because you mentioned roleplaying games and I love those, haha! but the general idea of it is interesting, too). In my analysis, I mentioned that achieving your desire can be tragic because you might lose purpose, but you brought up something I hadn't really thought of. What if you achieve your goal, but it isn't as great as you thought it'd be? That is a great point, and I think almost even more tragic than failure to achieve something, especially when on a grand scale. If you fail, you can at least hold on to what could have been. But to work on something, only to discover that you worked under a false pretense, or worse, for nothing, seems heartbreaking to me, and I count myself lucky that I haven't experienced a grand disappointment like that.
I thought it was interesting how you compared the quote to your own life experience because it really puts into perspective what everyone I think is trying to get at, which is that you want something so bad which you would say is your "heart's desire" and you spend all your time and energy focused on getting this thing you want so bad just to finally get it and be disappointed when you're not happy with how it has turned out. -Keira
DeleteHi Allen,
DeleteI really liked how you related the quote to your own personal experiences with tragedy. That helps to understand the quote and how tragedy effects real life scenarios. I also really liked how you talked about the realization of how you thought you wanted something to figuring out that you don’t actually want it. I found that very interesting and thought that it was very relatable.
Hi Allen,
DeleteI thoroughly enjoy the fact that you related to a personal struggle with this quote as well as relating that same quote with a clear view of what your character in the play might be feeling. Losing someone extremely special in your life is never an easy thing and I can clearly see how this is can be labeled as a tragedy to the giant.
-Brandon H
Hey guys, it’s Ryan.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the first part of the quote is a fairly simple concept. We can all agree that never obtaining your heart’s desire is a tragedy. However the second part of the quote is where there could be several possible meanings. Imagine dedicating all of your time into this one dream. Every day you hope that you’ll eventually achieve it. One day, you finally get there; you got your heart’s desire, but you still don’t feel satisfied. You realize that this one desire isn’t actually going to make you happy. You’ve just spent so much of your life trying to get to something that in the end, you don’t actually want. That is also a tragedy. Another possible meaning of the quote is that once you reach your final goal, your life loses purpose. If you devote your whole life to achieving a specific goal, once you have reached that ultimate goal you will have nothing left to do. If you no longer have a goal, you will lose motivation. This would be a tragedy as well. In ‘Into the Woods’ my character, Rapunzel’s prince has a very clear goal. The one thing he wants for the whole musical is Rapunzel. What if she finally chooses to be his wife and he realizes that she’s not as perfect as he thought? That would be just as much of a tragedy as him never gaining her affection. If I could sum up the theme of ‘Into the Woods’ in a single phrase, I would say “Be careful what you wish for.”
Hi Ryan,
DeleteI really like when you said, “You realize that this one desire isn’t actually going to make you happy. You’ve just spent so much of your life trying to get to something that in the end, you don’t actually want.” I feel as though it’s really easy to get so focused on one goal or one thing and we put all our eggs into one basket, just for the end result to disappoint us. I myself even have a hard time trying to balance everything going on and try not to focus too hard on one thing. I believe it’s really important to maintain a balanced and healthy life style and that we should not put all our eggs into one basket so that if the end result or goal is not what we expected (just like what you had stated), we still have other things to occupy ourselves or other things to still look forward to.
Hi it’s Emma,
ReplyDeleteWe all have goals in life. Whether they be big or small, we all set our minds to accomplishing something. Sometimes that doesn’t happen and other times it does. But if we do accomplish our goals, does that mean we will necessarily feel whole or satisfied in life? I guess it depends on what your goal is. For example, I like to do really well in math. Last year, I set a goal for how well I wanted to do and then I studied and practiced a lot in order to reach it. When I was able to obtain the mark that I wanted, I felt very satisfied because I knew all my hard work had paid off. However, there are times when we don’t feel satisfied when we reach the end result and this can be a “tragedy” just as Shaw said. Maybe you really want to fit in to a group of students at school and when you finally do, those people aren’t who you thought they were or aren’t what you hoped for in friendships.
To finish, I believe having goals is helpful and can be an important motivator, but we need to keep an open mind when setting and evaluating them.
Hey Emma! When you said "But if we do accomplish our goals, does that mean we will necessarily feel whole or satisfied in life?", it really resonated with me. A lot of the time, people think being satisfied and happy means being materialistic. Like when you talked about being friends with people but they weren't what they seemed, is like if you buy a really nice car. You think it will fulfill you, give you purpose, but at the end of the day, its just a thing. Things cant fulfill us, nor can they satisfy. They might for a while, but you will soon realize that it doesn't last. Your comment really made me think about that for some reason.
DeleteHi Emma!
DeleteI really loved the way you thought through your response. You made it relatable as someone who always strives to be the best they can in something. When you said "there are times when we don’t feel satisfied when we reach the end result and this can be a “tragedy”", that really clicked with me. We sometimes don't look and see what the end result will make us feel and that can lead to us not getting what we hoped for in the end.
Hi Emma!
DeleteI found your response very thought provoking and enjoyed how you posed more questions like if accomplishing your goals will make you feel satisfied in life. I agree that completing short term goals, like earning a particular mark in math is satisfying because of the work to achieve it but also see the flip side with the lack of satisfaction when more long term goals don't pan out (like making friends)
great job!
Hey it's Keira,
ReplyDeleteUpon reading this quote most would initially think that the biggest tragedy in life is to not get you heart's desire, but when you really think about it you can see how both not getting and getting your heart's desire would be equally horrible in their own ways. To not get your heart's desire would mean that you would never be able to have the one thing you want most in life. You would forever feel empty or alone and always feel like a part of you was missing. You would also probably spend your life trying to get you heart's desire... but what happens when you do get it? After all your hard work to obtain this one thing you want in life and suddenly have it you would almost feel lost still. All of that hard work and determination suddenly comes to an end and you no longer have a purpose in life so you keep searching in hopes that another one presents its self. This would be because that people are never satisfied with what they have and what they do not have. There will always be things that we cannot have as well as things we do have but are too blind to see how important they really are to us until they are gone.
Hi Keira it’s hannah. I loved your thoughts on this quote, when you spoke of the impact “losing purpose” by obtaining our hearts desire, spoke to me. I’ve felt that way before, like I’ve been at the top of my game, at my highest point, and feeling like I couldn’t reach any further with choir. I lost motivation to keep climbing when I thought it was my hearts desire, but finding an alternate path into other interests of mine helped me through that. I think I was “blinded” as you say, by my own desires and wasn’t able to see other things that I wanted, because chasing it became so all encompassing. Your response reminded me of how lucky I am to know I have multiple desires that change throughout time and I am able to see them change.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi- Tiernan here!
ReplyDeleteI certainly agree with the quote on its own. If you cannot achieve your heart’s desire, it is sad; I don’t think anyone will disagree on that point. Then, if you achieve your goal, it can be alluring to simply revel in that success, but that can be self-destructive. Some might not work to keep what they achieved, or they might lose purpose and lose all motivation to do anything else. I think that to mitigate the tragedy, once a goal has been achieved, you should simply find another. Something else to work toward. Life without purpose is barely life at all.
However, in the context of “Into The Woods”, I do not think the quote applies as accurately. The characters in the play are quite happy when they have achieved their heart’s desires (save for the bad guys, but for the most part, they deserve it). The Baker and Wife have their child, Jack and his mother and no longer poor, Cinderella and her Prince are married, the Witch has had her youth returned, and the list goes on. The story could well end at the end of Act 1, and it would not seem off (except for the Narrator shouting “To be continued!”, but that could easily be written out).
The second act is not brought on by the fact that the characters all achieved their heart’s desires, but rather the means of achieving the aforementioned desires. The theme of the second act is that the end does NOT justify the means. The Giant comes about in Act 2 because of the collective actions of most of the cast. The Baker’s father took the beans in the first place, the Witch created the curse on the Baker’s family, the Baker gave most of the beans to Jack to get the curse reversed, Jack’s mother wanted the cow sold, the Baker’s Wife gave the last bean to Cinderella, Cinderella threw it away, Jack killed the first Giant, and Little Red dared Jack to get the hen that resulted in Giant One’s death, and it all culminated in the second Giant rampaging in the kingdom.
To conclude: the tragedies brought about in the second act are the result of the acts committed to achieve wishes, not the result of those wishes being achieved in the first place. Ergo, Shaw’s quote, while applicable to life, does not exactly apply perfectly to the themes of “Into The Woods”.
(Note: quotation marks around Into The Woods are used because I don’t know how to put italics on this site.)
Hey Tiernan!
DeleteI really agree with you when you said "they might lose purpose and lose all motivation to do anything else." when referencing getting everything you want. If you were to reach your end goal, could you really be satisfied? Would it be worth all the pain and hard work it would take to get to your end goal? "...the end does NOT justify the means." Exactly. Getting everything you ever wanted would end up creating some distopian utopia that could drive you mad. Without a goal, a purpose, are you human anymore? Or just a former shell of one?
Hey, it’s Evan.
DeleteI was really intrigued when you talked about how the theme of the second act was that “the end does NOT justify the means”. For me, this raised a question. How far will any given person go to achieve their goals. I figured obviously it depends from person to person, but would someone really be willing to jeopardize the lives of their loved ones of it meant they would achieve their dreams. That’s a question for everyone to ask themselves. Personally, I believe that friends and family are far more important than my “true heart’s desire”, and can bring equally as much, if not more happiness. However, that’s not to say that there can’t be a healthy balance between ones goals and their interpersonal relationships.
Hey guys, its Sabrina.
ReplyDeleteThis quote to me is a very sad way of looking at life. Although, I would have to agree with him. To not get what your heart truly desires is a painstaking journey of never being satisfied. To have an end goal and never reach it is tragic. To put so much work into something that will never work out is so disheartening. But, at the same time, you could look at it from a different angle. Yeah, its a tragedy to not get exactly what you want, but you could enjoy the journey. Make sure not to take life for granted, even if you don't get your hearts desire.
The second half I 100% agree with. To get exactly what you want is a tragedy. To have everything in the world, your life would turn into one without purpose. Without drive, as there would be no end goal.
So, in conclusion, I would like to believe that what he is trying to say in this quote, would be to not take life for granted, and though you may not get exactly what you want, you will get what you need.
Sabrina, I really loved what you said about the need to enjoy the journey. Because after all, that's what life's all about, isn't it? The quote focuses a lot on the end-game- To have received or to have not received. But what does it matter either way if you don't make the most of your journey? The journey, in a way, is the destination- Because how fulfilling will receiving your heart's desire truly be if you couldn't enjoy the steps you needed to take to arrive there? On the other hand, what if you never get your heart's desire and still completely wasted your journey? Anyways, that was a super good point and made me think about the quote in a new light.
Delete-Eve
Hi this is Hannah!
ReplyDeleteI believe Into the Woods itself represents the aforementioned quote very well, by splitting it between acts in the show. The first act of Into the Woods shows all the perceived “good” characters, working hard and getting their hearts desire by the end of act 1, after stating very clearly what they wanted during the prologue. This proves the beginning of the quote, implying that to not have gotten their hearts desire would be a tragedy. The second act however, shows the self centred actions of all the characters backfiring into their downfalls, proving that their actions that led to getting their hearts desire ended in tragedy, and not a true happiness. I can agree that fighting all you can to get what you want isn’t always born out of a righteous and unselfish place, as I’ve experienced it in my personal life. When striving for good marks in a class or on a test, I’ve felt competitive with people around me, and acted out of selfishness in refusing help to them, or simply in treating them differently because of my personal resentments of their success. But when all is said and done at the end of the year, and i get my “hearts desire” of good marks, I might have hurt friends along the way which is a tragedy as your friends in high school can be the most important people in your life. All in all, this musical goes to prove the quote right, and also tells it’s audience to make sure what you want, and the happiness it will bring outweighs the consequences of getting it. Or, ‘make sure you do things with the right intentions.’
Hi Hannah, this is Emma Lewis.
DeleteI love how you drew parallels between the quote and the musical. It is such an accurate analogy and very well proved in your comment. I love how you talked about impure intentions when it comes to your hearts desire that's something I hadn't thought of before this. You were suer open and honest about your ow personal experience and I don't know anyone who can't relate to that anecdote in some capacity as far as striving for something out of competition or putting your goals above the people around you.
Hi Everybody! It's Eve here.
ReplyDeleteThis quote is extremely relevant to the musical 'Into the woods', as both tragedies relate to a certain act. The fear of the first tragedy- Not the receive your hearts desire- Is the motivation behind almost all of the character's actions in the first act of the musical. For example, Cinderella's desire is to escape her terrible world and go to the festival, even for a night. So the entire first act her actions are motivated by this want, this need, to avoid the tragedy of not ever being able to discover the 'what-if'; Unlike some of the other characters, however, Cinderella encounters the trouble of receiving your hearts desire even a little before the second act- The question of 'what now?' According to most fairytales, after the happy ever after, after you receive this desire, you should be happy forever, but; That's just not how it works. Cinderella is left feeling unfulfilled as a princess, feeling like she should be happy but yet- Something is wrong.
And this is very relatable to real life, not just fairytales.
Humans often have a dream, or a life goal- And most of us don't achieve it. But for those who do? They get stuck with an entirely new feeling of emptiness. They feel unfulfilled, and unhappy, and confused as to why they feel this way- They got what they wanted, shouldn't they be happy? But it is simply human nature to crave more, to want what others in an even better position then you have, without realizing how lucky you are for the positive things in your life.
I believe that only a few of man-kinds needs can be truly fulfilled; And if you have those, you can control your dissatisfaction with the other things in your life. What needs are these? The need for others. Friends, family- If you have a family who loves you, whom you love, if you can see their struggles as well as your own- If you can truly be grateful for those in your life, need them in the same way that they need you- Then they can help you to control your greed. It is only with others that we can become strong enough to realize that you may get your hearts desire, or, you may not, but either way- You can have a happy life, because you have such wonderful people in it.
And that's what our few characters left standing find at the end of the musical. The Baker, his son, Cinderella, Little Red and Jack find their own makeshift family; Each other. And in this discovery- They don't have to suffer the tragedy of having received their heart's desires any longer.
Hi there, it's Emma Lewis.
ReplyDeleteThis quote by George Bernard Shaw is extremely thought provoking. I believe he is commenting on the fact that no one can ever be truly happy. On one hand, not to get what you wish is an extremely difficult fact to face. At the moment I am recovering from a wrist injury, all I want to do is play piano and this has really been weighing on me this week. If this were to be permanent I would be absolutely devastated.
On the other hand, once you have achieved your lifelong dream, you no longer have a purpose. In order to be happy, life needs a direction and we need to feel useful. Once your hearts desire is achieved, as demonstrated in the musical, you will become extremely dissatisfied.
All in all, no circumstance is perfect and if you can make the best of it and appreciate what you have and what you haven't got and enjoy the journey then you will be the happiest you can be.
Hey, it’s Evan.
DeleteI liked when you said “life needs a direction”, which is something I’ve never thought about in that way. The way I interpreted that statement was that our true heart’s desire gives us organized goals which brings structure to our lives, and most people like to have structure and order. When left to our own devices with no structure, order or guidance is when people make the worst decisions. This is the very reason a daycare, for example, provides the kids with structured, supervised activities, and not a bunch of toddlers left by themselves in a room. I believe the same philosophy applies to people of all ages, but the supervision becomes the government and the decisions and errors we make become more critical. Therefore structure brings us safety, confidence, and ultimately happiness.
(Hannah)
ReplyDeleteWhen you said the quote was “a very sad way of looking at life” I could not agree more. I agreed with your statements that supported the quote and your explanations why, but what was more interesting to me is the new perspective I got. There are other ways to look at this quote, and many angles to consider. The pessimistic and final energy of this quote shines through, when an optimist could just as easily say that our hearts desire can change, and any tragedy that incurs could just be a lesson learned, which at the end of the day is what Into the Woods teaches it’s audience at the very end: adapting to new circumstances can be hard, yet necessary and not always bad.
(Hannah) - the comment that begins like that is meant as a reply to Sabrina’s post
DeleteHi guys, it’s Camryn,
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I believe the meaning of the quote is that life can never be perfect. Even though you may have everything that you want, you may still not be happy and something will always prevent you from living a perfect life. I believe that in many ways people can get what they want and be truly happy. However something will always be dampening the mood. For example, many people are happy however stressed out by their job, or school. There will always be something preventing perfection. Anther thing the quote is hinting at is that you can have all the everything you want in the world and still be unhappy. I believe the author is trying to get across the fact that money can’t buy happiness. I also believe that the quote is indicating that you can lead a happy life but it will always end in tragedy when your life ends. Everyone’s life ends at some point and that is a very tragic thing that will happen to everyone. Overall, I think what the quote is saying is that you should never expect perfection because that doesn’t exist in life. Also, life only lasts so long before death strikes so you should live to the fullest.
Hi Camryn!
DeleteI agreed wholeheartedly when you said that “There will always be something preventing perfection.”
Character wise, I feel like this heavily resigns with the Baker and his first interaction with Little Red.
Red’s personal connection to her cape prevents the Baker from taking it from her, and if he doesn’t receive the cape, he can’t have a child.
In short, I love how you worded the prevention of perfection, and it immediately caught my eye when scrolling through the comments!
Hey, it’s Evan.
ReplyDeleteI believe that both not attaining and attaining ones true heart’s desire can be considered tragedies in their own respect, but I’d also suggest that the former is far more tragic, in my opinion, than the latter.
Personally, if I were to live my life and have achieved my true heart’s desire, I would feel accomplished, and proud of my achievement. I would be satisfied and able to live the rest of my life at ease, though I understand this may not be the case for some people. Some people may achieve their true heart’s desire, then feel like their life no longer has purpose or meaning. They may feel unmotivated to pursue any further goals. This may cause some people to potentially even feel depressed, knowing they no longer have any greater purpose in the world if their true heart’s desire ends up not being what they thought it would be.
If I were to live my entire life and never attain my true heart’s desire, I would feel very unfulfilled with my life. I don’t see how anyone could possibly handle the disappointment and heartbreak of never achieving their goals. Personally, I haven’t decided exactly what my true heart’s desire is at this point. I just know that I would be devastated if for whatever reason it could never be a reality. I think that if my true heart’s desire was unattainable, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself knowing that I won’t ever be able to fulfill my greater purpose in life.
I find that a good real life analogy is someone’s retirement. When someone who has achieved all their career goals retires, they may feel relieved to finally be able to relax in the comfort of their successes. When someone else who has also had a successful career retires, they may not know what to do with themselves if all they have ever done is work towards their achievements, and they can no longer do the one thing they know. It is all dependant on the individual and how they experience the journey towards their goals.
Hey there Evan, this is Tiernan.
DeleteI really liked seeing your thoughts on the quote. It's interesting to see someone disagree with the quote, as it seems most agree. And I must admit, that I hadn't really thought of things your way. Personally, when taking your viewpoint into consideration, I think the matter of attaining your desire and whether or not that is tragic comes down to a single question: "when?" After all, many have brought up purpose in these comments, and for good reason, but your retirement point raises a great question: is purpose and drive to work even good when you are in a position where you can't work/work is possibly harmful? Is it not better, then, to step aside once you have fulfilled your desire and allow others to chase theirs?
Hi everyone!
ReplyDeleteI can see exactly what George Bernard Shaw meant by his quote. There can be a huge tragedy in never attaining your goals as well as when you finally reach that goal and the feeling of emptiness it leaves you.
Never reaching your goals in life can leave you with a feeling of incompleteness and that can lead to someone losing their motivation. I personally struggle with this in music because I set my goals too high. We all want to be the very best that we can be but that itself can leave you with that feeling of dissatisfaction of not reaching that goal you made for yourself. On the flipside of that, if you set your goals too low and you reach them with ease, when you finally running out of those goals or challenges that you can think of; that can be a tragedy in itself. I believe the only way to get past this hurdle of reaching your goals and not reaching them is to always have some unattainable goal to strive for. If you pair that with small goals to always be reaching for, that will always leave you a feeling of completion and still get you to work on those unattainable goals that you may have.
-Brandon H
Hi Brandon, I really enjoyed your comment and really connected with the part about setting your goals too high. I constantly strive for higher than is attainable and sometimes need to step back and re-evaluate if my goals are truly realistic. I think your solution to have some smaller goals and other larger goals is a great idea and something I should definitely start to implement into my life.
DeleteGreat work!
Hi Brandon,
DeleteI think in a little way we can all relate to the feeling of setting unrealistic goals for ourselves, and I love how you touched on that!
I find myself falling on the edge of being an obsessive perfectionist, and when something goes awry, I often feel upset with what I haven’t lived up to. Thank you for this input! I didn’t think of it when I wrote my own response!
Hi! This is Caleb,
ReplyDeleteWhen reading this quote I can definitely see what George Bernard Shaw means, as we discuss the tragedy of both missing your goal and also reaching it. I believe that missing your goal is disappointing because of the thought of what might have been. Personally, when I've auditioned for musical groups and not been chosen it's very disappointing and often I think about what it would have been like if I had actually been selected, and how things would have been completely different. Furthermore this happens when I don't get the results I wanted, for example last year in honour band when I was really hoping to earn trombone 1 but was instead placed 2nd. The thought of what might have been can leave a very empty feeling and a sense of longing which is the first tragedy of the hearts desire.
Continuing on, getting your hearts desire can be equally as tragic. For many their lives are very goal oriented and when they have nothing left to strive for their life can feel very empty. I feel this certainly affects me because when I'm not working or trying to achieve something I feel very bored and don't know what to do with myself. I rarely take a second to relax because of this. Also, reaching your hearts desire can be tragic because of the possibility of not being satisfied. Working your whole life towards something and then realizing it's not what you wanted can be worse than never reaching it in the first place.
Hi It’s Chelsea,
ReplyDeleteI believe the quotation stating "One is not to get your heart's desire, the other is to get it." really means that people will never be happy with what they have.
Personally, I don’t see this as a negative thing. Not getting your hearts desire and being unhappy gives you the chance to work and strive to achieve all kinds of goals throughout life!
For example, you might fail a quiz one class and then be motivated by failure to get a better mark next time.
If you were to be happy with every aspect of your life, there would be no room for personal improvement!
Even if the outcome of your heart’s desire ends up being different then what you originally thought of, at least you now have a new experience to grow off of!
Hey, it's Erin
ReplyDeleteWhen the idea of heart desire was presented it gave me the thought of trying hard for something you want but it not working out, for example working super hard for something and not getting the end results you were looking for or it just not working out. Personally, when I was in middle I really like playing basketball but the day before the final tryouts I broke my ankle, I still went to the tryouts and made the team but I had a cast on for a month so I couldn’t play and that resulted in me not playing as much as I would have like and being bench for whole games at a time and it was just this awful feeling because in tryout I worked hard and then one thing that happened that just ruined the whole experience
Howdy Erin,
ReplyDeleteI really like your personal take on this. How you still tried for something when you didn’t think you had a chance or had doubts. I think that it’s important to try even if you think you can’t do it. You will surprise yourself sometimes.