The eNotes Blog Happy Birthday, Beckett! Celebrate the (Absurd) Waiting for GodotAuthor

Happy Birthday, Beckett! Celebrate the (Absurd) Waiting for GodotAuthor Samuel Beckett was a most interesting man- a fact that can be immediately  confirmed by the authors influential contributions to the Absurdist Movement (but well get to what that is in a moment). Though born and raised in Ireland, Beckett fell in love with Paris  in his 20s after graduating from Trinity College with a B.A. in modern languages and setting out on a cycling tour of  France. There  the young author befriended  and made a pseudo-father-figure of fellow author and Irishman  James Joyce, who provided a great deal of encouragement and assistance  to Beckett and his work. Throughout his life, Beckett suffered from bouts of severe depression and associated alcoholism, both of which took a toll on his writing until the midpoint of his career. Beckett began to use his pain and his experience in studying philosophy  to begin working in the style of  the  absurd. The Absurdist movement was centered on the concept that humanitys efforts  to find or define the inherent meaning of anything (say, human experience) are absurd because the qualities of communicable information in relation to reality make any such certainty impossible. Was that confusing? Yes, yes it was. More simply stated, Absurdism was founded on the belief that nothing can be truly confirmed, be it experience or relationships, and therefore who is to say what is real when what has happened cannot be proven? Okay, that was a little confusing, too,  but when we say that Samuel Beckett was a smart man, believe us- this fella not only understood Absurdism, but helped to establish it as a   literary and philosophical movement. Speaking of the Absurdist movement, we would like to (primarily) focus this Beckett b-day post on one of his most famous works,  Waiting for Godot. Sometimes referred to as one of the most significant English plays of the 20th century, this drama was and remains a highly influential piece. Arguably one of the most interesting elements of  Waiting for Godot is, for lack of more eloquent phrase, how very  weird  it is. Readers/viewers of this play are often struck by how nonsensical yet meaningful the play is, in addition to the notion that the play itself has no meaning And yet it must. The description of this play is becoming as confusing as the above attempt at defining the  absurd. For this reason, we shall now delve into detailing aspects of the drama/comedy itself, in hopes that piece by piece this moving work will become a more cohesive whole. What is  Waiting for Godot REALLY about? Arguably, the basis of the play is  desire for a purpose. This aim of having a purpose could be further extrapolated to the human condition and the desire to understand the meaning of life. Absurdism directly deals with the impossible conclusion to this  existential question, and it makes sense that Beckett would take this painful construction to bat in his works. How would you categorize this play? There are two basic genre categories  into we can place a given play: comedy and tragedy. A  tragedy can be described as a work with the philosophical view that life is tragic because it is filled with pain and suffering, and ultimately ends in death. Alternatively, a  comedy takes the view that life is ridiculous because people are foolish and harbor unrealistic expectations. It makes sense that an absurdist work such as  Waiting for Godot takes bits and pieces from both of these genres. As  an experimental play belonging to the Absurdist  movement, it  works to self-consciously break down and challenge the traditional generic conventions. What Are the Plays Themes? Any work of literature is going to feature at least one theme (and usually  more). A theme is very basically an ongoing subject/topic. You can see themes in  thoughts,  literary works, art exhibitions, etc. Waiting for Godot is a rather complex play, and  since the work is itself quite cyclical it can be argued that anything recurring is in some way a theme. In spite of this defensible stance, we are going to outline two major themes in the play: memory and time. Tied in with the themes of memory and time is the theme of uncertainty. Everything is uncertain in the play, and this is what makes it appear absurd. In watching/reading the play, the viewers and/or readers are often left as confused as the characters as to what is happening, when it happened, or if it happened at all.  Literary analysis is enough to make your head spin sometimes, but thats why were here! What Methods Did Beckett Use to Create The  Play? When we say methods, we mean what an author did to convey a desired message. In many cases, this methodology includes word choice, syntax, use of rhetoric, and more. By focusing on particular techniques/methodology, an author can decidedly skew a story in one direction or another, inflicting a particular interpretation or mood onto his or her audience. In Waiting for Godot, Becketts involvement in the theater becomes increasingly more apparent. Unlike his novels and short stories, Becketts plays are more definitely focused on theatrical outcome than literary objectives; instead of focusing on elements like grammatical structure to keep the story flowing, Beckett puts more emphasis into the action of what is occurring onstage rather than the behind-the-scenes drivers of the story (i.e.  action over  narration,) though he does  stake a lot on  the dialogue between characters. So,  What Was the  Meaning of the Play? Weve talked about what happens in the play, weve talked about its potential inspirations, and weve discussed how Beckett may have gone about the writing of the work, but what is  Waiting for Godot trying to tell us? To put it frankly, the play is pretty bleak. The whole piece details the story of two men waiting for someone or something that will potentially never arrive. This waiting for an event  that may never occur may be extrapolated to a commentary on the human condition- common in both existentialism and absurdism (though believers of one or the other would never agree to any similarities between these movements). Absurdism questions the motivations behind the human experience: if nothing can be explained or proven, then everything we do is arguably absurd. It can be argued, therefore, that the seemingly endless and repetitive waiting of the two main characters can be a metaphor for  humanity as a whole and how we are always, perhaps senselessly, awaiting  something. More on the plays meaning. Everybodys a Critic If youve ever read or written anything (and since youre on the   blog we can assume you have at least some  interest in the written word), you will know all about literary criticism- its just about everywhere. Back in the day, the only reputable source of literary criticism could be found in the work of scholars who had done targeted analysis on a particular piece. Nowadays, however, you can type in the name of any  work  and be taken to countless links to opinions (or tweets). A piece like  Waiting for Godot has been reviewed and criticized (and praised) a number of times from varying viewpoints with basis in all varieties of philosophical thought. One could wonder though what are the  critics themselves waiting for?

6 Functions of Behavior and How to Identifying Them

6 Functions of Behavior and How to Identifying Them Behavior is what humans do, and its observable and measurable. Whether it is to walk from one place to another or to crack ones knuckles, behavior serves some type of function. In the research-based approach to modifying behavior, called  Applied Behavior Analysis, the function  of an inappropriate behavior is sought out, in  order to find a replacement behavior to substitute it. Every behavior serves a function and provides  a consequence or  reinforcement  for the behavior. Spotting the Function of a Behavior When one successfully identifies the function of the behavior, one can reinforce an alternate, acceptable behavior that will replace it. When a student has a particular need or function fulfilled by an alternate means, the mal-adaptive or unacceptable behavior is less likely to reappear. For example, if a child needs attention, and one gives them attention in an appropriate way because of appropriate behavior, humans tend to cement the appropriate behavior and make the inappropriate or unwanted behavior less likely to appear. The Six Most Common Functions for Behaviors To obtain a preferred item or activity.Escape or avoidance. The behavior helps the child to escape from a setting or activity that he or she doesnt want.To get attention, either from significant adults or peers.To communicate. This is especially true with children with disabilities that limit their ability to communicate.Self-stimulation, when the behavior itself provides reinforcement.Control or power. Some students feel particularly powerless and a problematic behavior may give them a sense of power or control. Identifying the Function ABA uses a simple acronym, while  ABC  (Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence) defines the three pivotal parts of behavior. The definitions are as follows: Antecedent:  The environment in which the behavior occurs and the circumstances that surround the occurrence of the behavior or people in the environment when the behavior occurs.Behavior: The behavior, what the student actually does, that needs to be defined.Consequence:  Everything that happens after the behavior, including how people respond to the behavior and what happens to the rest of the students educational program. The clearest evidence of how a behavior functions for a child is seen in the antecedent (A) and the consequence (C.) The Antecedent In the antecedent,  everything happens immediately before the behavior occurs. It is sometimes also referred to as the setting event, but a setting event may be part of the antecedent and not the whole. The teacher or ABA practitioner needs to ask if something is in the environment that may lead to the behavior, such as escaping loud noises, a person who always presents a demand or a change in routine that might seem frightening to a child. There also may be something that happens in that environment that seems to have a causal relationship, like the entrance of a pretty girl which can draw attention. The Consequence In ABA, the term consequence has a very specific meaning, which at the same time is broader than the use of consequence, as it usually is, to mean punishment. The consequence is what happens as the result of the behavior. That consequence is usually the reward or reinforcement for the behavior. Consider consequences like the child being removed from the room or the teacher backing off and giving the child something easier or fun to do. Another consequence may include the teacher getting really angry and starting to scream. It is usually in how the consequence interacts with the antecedent that one can find the function of the behavior.   Examples of the Pivotal Parts of Behavior Example 1: Jeremy has been taking his clothes off in the classroom. During a structured observation, the therapist noticed that when the time for art approaches, Jeremy gets really agitated. When the teacher announces, Time to clean up to go to art, Jeremy will throw himself on the floor and start pulling his shirt off. It has now gotten to the point where he quickly pulls his socks and pants off, as well, so the office will call his mother to take him home. The function here is to  escape. Jeremy doesnt have to go to art class. The teachers need to figure out what it is that Jeremy wants to escape from art. The teacher may start taking his favorite toy to art and not putting any demands on him, or he/she may want to put headsets on Jeremy (the room may be too loud, or the teachers voice may be too high pitched.) Example 2: The moment that Hilary is given a demand after group, she begins to tantrum. She clears her desk with a sweep, knocks it over, and throws herself to the floor. Recently she has added biting. It has taken as much as a half hour to calm her down, but after attacking the other students, the principal has been sending her home with Mom, who she has to herself for the rest of the day. This is another function of escape, though because of the consequence, one might say it is also indirectly attention since she gets the undivided attention of Mom when she gets home. The teacher needs to work on slowly shaping the academic behavior, giving her preferred activities at her desk, and making sure there is a home note that helps Mom give Hilary extra attention, away from her typical siblings, when she has a great day. Example 3: Carlos is a  seventh grader with low functioning autism. He has been hitting girls when he goes to lunch or gym, though not hard. They are affectionately referred to as love pats. He occasionally hits a boy with long hair, but his focus is usually girls. He usually grins after he has done it. Here, the function is attention. Carlos is an adolescent boy, and he wants the attention of pretty girls. He needs to learn to greet girls appropriately to get their attention.