Waiting for Jeremy

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Authors
Carlson, Hailey D.
Advisor
Blackmer, Jennifer
Issue Date
2021-05
Keyword
Degree
Thesis (B.?)
Department
Honors College
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Abstract

The schism between rationality and emotionality is a divide which has been a part of human discourse since the ancient Greeks. They knew it as Logos versus Pathos. Freud conceptualized it as the battle between the Id and the Superego. Neuroscience has suggested right versus left brained thinking. Each of us must struggle to balance our rational thought with our emotional side, something with which we all struggle to differing extents. Waiting for Jeremy was inspired by the works of Samuel Beckett, a mid-twentieth century absurdist playwriter. I sought to mimic Beckett’s the rapid-fire and somewhat nonsensical dialogue, minimalistic scenery, and characters which represent highly abstract concepts in a veiled way. To this end, I sought to display the age old divide between rationality and emotionality on stage by humanizing these abstract concepts. To display each character’s unique modes of thought, I placed Rationality and Emotionality into the context of being advisors and friends to a single individual over the course of his life as he approaches, and ultimately meets, a humanized representation of death.