Monday, March 8, 2010

"Here, have a piece of fruit" - Paradise Lost

After seeing Paradise Lost at the ART last week, I felt like I did after reading Tom Clancy's Bonfire of the Vanities -- grateful for my wonderful life. Because, indeed, I am blessed by so many things -- health, friends, family, work. Folks in the Depression had so little. Their lives, at least as depicted by Clifford Odets, were filled with sadness, hardship and unspeakable tragedy. The same was true for the Bonfire of the Vanities' main character, the "master of the universe".

The play started out slowly, but built up speed and deep meaning in acts two and three. In act one, Clara Gordon was generous: "Here, have a piece of fruit" she kept offering her family and guests. In act three, it was her husband, Leo, who was the generous one, actually trying to give away large sums of money to the homeless. May we all be so kind, thoughtful and generous to those in need around us.

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