Download A Reading of `The Apparition` by Herman Melville

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Arts & Culture
The Epoch Times
June 26 – July 2, 2008
Theater Review
‘Palace of the End’
Three fierce views of the Iraqi war
By DIANA BARTH
Special to The Epoch Times
NEW YORK—Canadian playwright Judith Thompson’s “Palace of the End” presents three blistering monologues in the words—some real, some imagined—of
three actual participants in the Middle East crisis.
Using her playwright’s skills, Ms. Thompson first
explores the possible thought processes of U.S. soldier
Lynndie England (Teri Lamm), who was convicted
of abusing detainees at Iraq’s notorious Abu Ghraib
prison. In the play, as the pregnant (by a fellow GI)
England awaits her court martial trial, she muses over
the events that led up to her present predicament.
England came from a low-class, Southern background and was only too happy to escape the monotony of working for a fast-food place. Volunteering for
the army, she was sent to Iraq where she could expand
her heretofore minuscule ego and have power over those
more vulnerable than she—Iraqi prisoners.
Some brutal details are discussed, including the various forms of humiliation England devised, such as having a group of prisoners, naked, erect a pyramid comprising their own bodies. There are several far more
dire events described, and I warn potential audience
members: Know that this play requires strength to tolerate some terrifying and even offensive material.
Next, British weapons inspector David Kelly (Rocco
Sisto) recounts his story as he lies bleeding to death,
alone, in an isolated spot in England. He had been a
whistle blower, insisting that he had found no weapons
of mass destruction in Iraq, and had publicly opposed
then-Prime Minister Tony Blair. Hounded for his unpopular views, Kelly met a mysterious end. It was never
made clear whether the cause of death was murder or
suicide. But whichever it was, Kelly’s demise represents
one more casualty of the Iraqi cataclysm.
Arguably the most compelling of the triptych is the
story of Nehrjas Al Saffarh (Heather Raffo), a politically active Iraqi woman who suffered under Saddam
Hussein’s regime and whose entire family was tortured
and killed. Heartbreaking is the episode describing the
vicious torture of her young son, who later died.
The conclusion is stark: Wars have always been with
us, and their components are always the same. Good
people suffer needlessly. They lose their property, their
sanity, their lives.
Unfortunately, no remedy is offered.
For “Palace of the End” Judith Thompson won the
prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for playwriting. Commissioned by the Epic Theatre Ensemble, the
present production marks the play’s New York premiere.
Under Daniella Topol’s astute direction, performances
are excellent, with Teri Lamm’s portrayal pointedly
conveying the poverty of soul that led to her character’s
actions; Rocco Sisto’s deliberately underplayed weapons inspector is potently brought to life, while Heather
Raffo’s Iraqi woman is profoundly moving.
Mimi Lien’s sets deserve special mention, as the
three specific-to-the-character set pieces both highlight
and mirror each character’s unique dilemma.
This is a play not for the faint of heart, but definitely
for those who are incensed by the Middle East horror
and want to know everything they can about it.
THOUGHTS OF WAR: Teri Lamm (left rear) as Lynndie England, Rocco Sisto (center) as David Kelly, and
Heather Raffo (front right) as an Iraqi woman in the Epic Theatre Ensemble production of “Palace of the
End” by Judith Thompson with direction by Daniella Topol. Now in performance through July 13th at Peter
Jay Sharp Theater at Playwrights Horizons. Carol Rosegg
An additional offer: Many performances are followed by a talk-back with Iraqi experts and cast and
creative team members.
Palace of the End
Presented by the Epic Theatre Ensemble
Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Playwrights Horizons
416 West 42 Street
Tickets: (212) 279-4200
or www.ticketcentral.com
Closes July 13
Diana Barth writes and publishes New Millennium, an
arts newsletter. For information: [email protected]
The Antidote: Classic Poetry for MODERN LIFE
A Reading of ‘The Apparition’ by Herman Melville
By CHRISTOPHER NIELD
Special to The Epoch Times
The Apparition
(The Parthenon uplifted on its rock first
challenging the view on the approach to Athens.)
Abrupt the supernatural Cross,
Vivid in startled air,
Smote the Emperor Constantine
And turned his soul’s allegiance there.
With other power appealing down,
Trophy of Adam’s best!
If cynic minds you scarce convert,
You try them, shake them, or molest.
Diogenes, that honest heart,
Lived ere your date began;
Thee had he seen, he might have swerved
In mood nor barked so much at Man.
Have you ever undergone a conversion experience?
One where, in a sudden flash, you fundamentally
changed your perspective? Such moments, which define
our lives, are not easily forgotten.
In the first stanza of this poem, Herman Melville
describes the conversion experience of the Roman Emperor Constantine. It is said that before a crucial battle,
he looked up to the sun and saw a cross of light above
it. When victory came, he declared that his empire convert to Christianity, even though it had once burned
Christians alive.
The first word of the poem, “abrupt,” brings home
the sudden, unforeseen, almost calamitous nature of
the revelation. It isn’t easy to be proved wrong. “Vivid
in startled air” the cross sounds like a huge exclamation
point in the sky. This celestial sign smites or whacks
Constantine over the head—like a slap from the Zen
master that both stuns and enlightens the pupil.
In the second stanza, Melville turns his attention to
the Parthenon, a temple built for the Greek goddess
Athena. (Parthenon literally means “virgin’s home.”)
Today it stands as a symbol of Ancient Greece and by
extension the development of art, philosophy, and democracy.
The Parthenon exemplifies a different “power” to
the supernatural cross—the power of man. It is a “trophy” not of God’s might but “Adam’s best,” which refers to humanity as a whole. This biblical metaphor in
a classical context unites the cross and the Parthenon
while also contrasting them. The Judeo-Christian and
Greco-Roman can indeed be reconciled, as they have
been in the strange hybrid creation known as Western
civilization.
At the sight of the Parthenon, some would gasp in
awe. “Cynic” minds, however, would guffaw at such
grandeur. Look at those columns! They’re falling down!
The original Cynics in Athens thought that man should
live in accordance with nature, and thus they had little
time for good manners.
Cynicism, or the perception of there being a discrepancy between rhetoric and reality, is a useful and even
necessary trait—cutting through hypocrisy with robust
common sense. Yet the expectation that there must always be such a discrepancy, and that no one can be
trusted, becomes in itself a hindrance to truth. It turns
corrosive. In Melville’s view, the society of which the
Parthenon is part doesn’t take kindly to being mocked
and is prepared to “molest” or pick on those who would
seek to demoralize it. Is this brutal or wise?
Now, if the cross could convert Constantine, who
could the Parthenon transform? Melville mentions Diogenes, the biggest and most entertaining Cynic of them
all. Philosopher as performance artist and clown, Diogenes once lit a lamp in broad daylight and repeated, as
he went about, “I am searching for a human being!”
The reference to Diogenes’ moodiness and barking
implies that by complaining so much, he became close
to being a bully—blinded by his own self-righteous
zeal. Indeed, we can often come across certain supercilious souls who spend their lives raging at others simply because they aren’t perfect. Is this high-minded or
immature?
For Melville, the Parthenon is proof that some good
did and still does exist in the heart and mind of man. In
our grand designs, our skyscrapers and bridges, we find
an abiding virtuous power. Yes they are apparitions in
the sense that they make manifest the glory of the imagination. Their temporary nature only offsets the miracle that they ever stood at all. But they are a testament
to the human spirit and if we give them a second look,
we might find our view of ourselves changed forever.
Herman Melville (1819–1891) was an American novelist, essayist, and poet.
Christopher Nield is a poet living in London. His email is [email protected].