Blog prompts: 3.17.09 // Rent
Posted on: April 28, 2009
Respond to the following based on your reading of Act I of Rent:
1) Describe your response to the first act of Rent.
I loved reading the first act of Rent. It jumps right into the heart of the issues this play discusses and explores the conventional and unconventional elements of life, as well as the realities associated with this time period.
2) Think of the topic you may want to write about for your short paper—an issue that represents a gap or border to you—and where you see it occurring in Rent. Identify the sections, characters and parts of Rent where you see this as especially important.
I think I want to write about the AIDS epidemic for my short paper. AID is a topic that I am not very familiar with and is one of the central issues this play is focused around. Many of the characters within the play have AIDS; Collins, Angel, Rodger, Mimi and therefore is commonly talked about. Also, during the time period in which this play was written, the population of people with AIDS was growing rapidly and knowing more about it would give me a better understanding of the play.
3) How does Rent relate to the course theme of “isolation and community” in your mind?
Rent relates to the course theme of “isolation and community” because although the poor community and characters with AIDS have each other to lean on, they are very much isolated from the rest of society, specifically the upper classes of New York City.
4) What questions do you have about what you’ve read up to this point?
Sometimes it is confusing to keep the characters straight, but other than that I do not have any major questions up until this point.
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