Alice
Appearances
Class with Mason
Ep 4: A Note on Oliver Goldsmith's Creation The Man in Black
Welcome to classwithmason.com. I'm your host, Alice, and today we're diving into an insightful essay by Oliver Goldsmith titled The Man in Black. This essay gives us a candid look at the society of Goldsmith's time, where economic and moral decline left many people struggling in poverty and despair.
Class with Mason
Ep 4: A Note on Oliver Goldsmith's Creation The Man in Black
After hearing the sailor's story about how he lost his leg, the man in black, moved by his bravery, immediately offers a shilling. He doesn't hesitate, his heart compels him to help, despite his earlier harsh words. The same pattern repeats when he encounters a poor woman, tattered and carrying two children.
Class with Mason
Ep 4: A Note on Oliver Goldsmith's Creation The Man in Black
She's singing a sad song that blurs the line between weeping and singing, and the man in black, deeply moved by her plight, instinctively reaches into his pocket to help. Unfortunately, he realizes he has nothing left to give and his inability to aid her weighs heavily on him. through these encounters, we see the depth of the man in black's character.
Class with Mason
Ep 4: A Note on Oliver Goldsmith's Creation The Man in Black
While his exterior is cold and severe, his actions reveal a man of deep compassion. He may not openly admit his generosity, but his spirit shines through in moments of quiet charity. Goldsmith uses this character to remind us that sometimes human goodness is hidden behind a harsh exterior and that empathy and kindness are often found in unexpected places.
Class with Mason
Ep 4: A Note on Oliver Goldsmith's Creation The Man in Black
That's all for today's discussion on Oliver Goldsmith's The Man in Black. I hope this gave you some valuable insights into the complexities of the essay and the world Goldsmith was critiquing.
Class with Mason
Ep 4: A Note on Oliver Goldsmith's Creation The Man in Black
Goldsmith doesn't directly call for reform but instead introduces us to the mysterious man in black as a means to expose these societal flaws. Through this character, Goldsmith not only shares his own perspectives but also critiques the norms of the time, advocating for a more compassionate and empathetic society.
Class with Mason
Ep 4: A Note on Oliver Goldsmith's Creation The Man in Black
Now, let's talk a bit about Oliver Goldsmith himself. He's widely known for his literary masterpieces, including the novel The Vicar of Wakefield, the play She Stoops to Conquer, and his essays in The Citizen of the World, from which The Man in Black is taken.
Class with Mason
Ep 4: A Note on Oliver Goldsmith's Creation The Man in Black
In this essay, Goldsmith adopts the persona of Oltangi, a Chinese philosopher, to narrate his interactions with The Man in Black, who represents a complex combination of humor, humanism, and contradiction. So who exactly is the man in black? On the surface, he comes across as a miser and a misanthrope, but beneath that exterior lies a kind heart.
Class with Mason
Ep 4: A Note on Oliver Goldsmith's Creation The Man in Black
Though he appears cynical, his actions often reveal his true nature, a deeply generous and empathetic soul. For example, when all Tangi and the man in black are out walking, they encounter a beggar. Though the man in black criticizes beggars in conversation, he secretly slips a silver coin to the man, all while pretending to remain indifferent. This act of charity goes unnoticed or so he thinks.
Class with Mason
Ep 4: A Note on Oliver Goldsmith's Creation The Man in Black
He reprimands the beggar for what he believes to be a false sob story, but his actions betray his words. This tension between his outward persona and his inward compassion is a recurring theme throughout the essay. One of the most telling moments occurs when the man in black meets a sailor with a wooden leg.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
I do, yes. I'm part of the leadership team for the youth section of East Surrey Performing Arts.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
Many, many times. We've had a great deal of fun and put on numerous performances here to great enjoyment and with the involvement of literally hundreds of children over the years.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
Well, you've got railings and barriers and none of us general public are going anywhere near it for the moment. But as we peer in through the window, we can see lots of scaffolding bars and planks and... Yes, it does indeed. Look, as though work will start shortly.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
Obviously this letter was extremely good news. It was celebrated by the Harlequin Support Group and it's been a long time coming. So really I can say that this is the first bit of good news we've had in a year. So we're very, very pleased and at last we have some indication of what some of the timings are. We will obviously keep the pressure up to make sure the timings don't slip.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
But as soon as those survey results are out and we know what we're dealing with, we feel that all the groups, the Reigate and Racial Society, the Harlequin Support Group, all the community arts groups involved should come together and help the council put the right plan together so that we get the best possible arts and cultural provision that we can do.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
I think that's a good way of putting it. I hope we've been polite but persistent. And I hope we've raised the profile of the issue. And I'm very grateful to all those of you who've commented, written in, written to your councillors and so on. Thank you so much. Yes, we were frustrated by the 11 months that apparently nothing happened.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
I know the lease is complicated and I know there were some sort of legal wrangles with Aviva, the property owner. But at last we've come to a sensible, pragmatic decision to at least get the survey done. And we need to know what the scale of the problem is that we're dealing with. So that is a great first step.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
Absolutely, I agree. It is the right time to do that survey as well. I would hope that the council has been doing... Condition checks on its buildings throughout its tenancy and over the years, so I hope there are no surprises there. That would be very disappointing if there were.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
There could indeed. As I say, it'll be a year empty next week, the one-year anniversary of its closure. So, yeah, let's hope there are no horrible surprises when those surveys are completed.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
Yes, the public consultation event scheduled for October has been mentioned once or twice, but yesterday was the first time a date was put on it.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
We don't know where, and we apparently know when, but in the...
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
views of the harlequin support group this is really too short notice if you're going to contact all the groups that have hired the harlequin in the past and get this news out across the across the borough properly you need more than two and a half weeks the risk of doing it on the 5th of october is that you'll get poor participation and also it does seem a little idiotic to have a consultation when we know the survey results are only going to be five weeks
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
It does. It does seem that we're now so close to knowing the survey results, it seems foolhardy to go ahead with a consultation without that knowledge in hand. It could be very unproductive. It could turn into just a talking shop that... discusses things that are completely unfeasible and therefore turns out to be a waste of time and money for everybody.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
I would recommend, and the Harlequin Support Group would strongly recommend, that this event is deferred until after the survey results are known. I mean, the biggest... outcome of that survey will be either the rack is so severe that the building has to be demolished, or the rack is much more minor and the building can be repaired.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
Until you know even that, a consultation is not a good idea just at this moment.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
Yes, I completely agree. I think you could have two events. An alternative is an offer that the Harlequin Support Group have made to the council leader, which is to do a survey before we hold this event. You're talking a public survey as opposed to a structural survey? Yes, I'm sorry. A survey among the residents and the users of the Harlequin to see what...
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
they need from their arts and cultural provision.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
They are. They're offering their services for free. They would design the survey, conduct the survey, analyse the data and then feed the findings back to the council. And our thinking is that this very useful information could help structure and formulate the design of the public consultation to make it a better and more productive event.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
Some smaller scale events, perhaps. can be held in community halls and churches and school halls, but the larger ones that I'm involved in, like musical theatre, we're really struggling. The Dorking Halls is closed for refurbishment for the second time next year, and it's just had a closure.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
Something else. Epsom Playhouse is going through some refurbishment. as is the capital at Horsham. The Horth in Crawley is fully booked for two years, they tell me. There's absolutely no slots at all. So for events like musical theatre, large-scale productions, orchestral productions, Red Hill Sinfonia and such like, We have very few options. We can go to the Chequermede in East Grinstead.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
It has one or two slots and we should be going down there in the summer.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
We've already experienced that. We lost some volunteers who couldn't travel to East Grinstead last year. We lost some cast members that we'd cast in very, very decent roles that then couldn't do the show when the adults moved out to the theatre in West Horsley. So we do lose people and it's heartbreaking for them.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
For some of them, the theatre and our societies have been the bedrock of their social life and their friendship groups for years. So it This cannot be allowed to go on for too long. It will decimate our groups and it will be very difficult to build back up if this lack of a seriously sized theatre goes on for too long.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
I'm Jill. I'm Alice.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
5K.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
You haven't had a good look at it yet, have you? Yeah, not really. So it's the... It's a primary park just behind us. Yeah, the... Primary school. So where's that going to go, Alice?
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
Probably in my bedroom.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
Yeah.