In chapter 5 of Morality Play Nicholas plays the role of an actor for the first time. About his experience, he observes: "I was a different person now, they did not hate me. They knew me for a japer, not a demon. I understood then, as I passed through the people and shook my bells and saw them smile, what all players come to know very well, how quickly shifting are our loves and hates, how they depend on mocks and disguises. With a horned mask and a wooden trident I was their fear of hellfire. Two minutes later, still the same timorous creature as before, with a fool's cap and a white mask, I was their hope of laughter. I was discovering the danger of disguise...A mask confers the terror of freedom, it is very easy to forget who you are."
Reflect on Nicholas' words and your own experience. Is what he says true? How? Why? What is "the terror of freedom"?
14 comments:
i think that this statement is true because there really is danger in disguises. when he put the demon mask on, everyone was afraid of him but he was the same person as he was when he had the joker mask on. when he had the joker mask on he was loved by everyone and no longer feared. this shows the danger in disguises, and how easy it can be to forget who you really are.
if i died my hair a certain color it would be the same exact thing as what hes talking about. people would treat me differently or act strange around me. i understand exactly what hes saying because i feel the same way.
I think that what Nicholas and the author are basically saying is that people base a lot of their opinions based on appearance. The scary demon side of the play made the people frightnened and made children cry and adults yell at Nicholas. BUt two minutes later when Nichlas went on to stage dressed as the demon, but with a fools cap, the people laughed at him. Even though he looked silly, he was still the devil, and people still shouldve been frightned of him. Same goes today for the saying "dont judge a book by its cover." If you judge someone or something based solely on appearance, then youre cheating yourself becuase there could be sooo much more to this person or thing.
When the author talks about the "terror of freedom," I think he is referring to the freedom that one might gain by wearing a mask, literally or figuratively. On stage, when youre in a scene, you have the freedom to do whatever you want and become whoever you want, becuase when you walk off the stage, no one will judge you for it or think anything than just "Oh, he was jsut acting." But in real life, if you wear one of these "masks" then you can become some much more than you veer meant to, and not in a good way. Celebrities and rock stars for example. SOme of them get so much fame and money that they lose themselves. THey start doing things they normally wouldnt and soemtimes end up getting themselves itno a lot of trouble for it. Theyre not themselves though, they have donned a "mask" of fame, hiding who they really are and doign things becuase its easy and fun. Basically, I think the terror of freedom blurs the line between what is acceptable and what isnt.
Nicholas means that people think differently of other people depending on what they look like. This is very true in today's society because people tend to judge others on looks rather than inner beauty. An example of this is Shallow Hal where Hal only likes girls because he thinks they are attractive and when he finds out that the girls he thinks are beautiful are in fact extremely obese, he is disgusted with himself. "The terror of freedom" is that people can decide what they want for themselves rather than a government or institution telling them what to do and believe. The Chinese government is notorious for censoring information and regulating what people can and can not do.
Nicholas talks about how he is being judged for the mask he has on. He first came out with a demon mask on and the people around him were terrified and immediately filled with hate. Then when he came out with a fools cap on and they immediately loved him. This is a metaphor for people judging other people by their looks. This happens in everyday life all the time. Like many people may see a person wearing all black clothes and tons of piercing and they judge them as a bad person because of how they may look. When in reality this person is one of the nicest people around.
People are too hung up on judging a person before they get to know them. This is bad because these people are just making assumptions that may be completely contrary to the way the judged person really is.
In the book the author talks about the terror of freedom. The author brings this up when Nicholas is wearing a mask and he feels free. It is kind of scary for him because he is acting differently than he would normally. This is true because once that mask is on people do not recognize him as Nicholas they recognize him as the character he is portraying. Nicholas knows this subconsciously and he acts differently, knowing that he will not be linked with his identity; he will be seen as someone completely different.
There is indeed some freedom gained when one takes on a new role. For example, next year many of us will be going to college. With this comes the opportunity to start new and to be whoever we want to be -- this can be both exciting and frightening. Your reputation for the next 4 years depends on how you act and how you present yourself, especially during the first few days. Nicholas is finding himself in a similar situation, only instead of going to new place where people do not know him and have no past judgements on him, he is simply putting on a mask. This mask hides his identity and gives him a new one which people judge him by. The result is that he can be someone or something completely different than he was or really is -- he can play the devil's assistant even though in reality he is (or was) a priest. This can be terrifying or dangerous because it often makes people feel as if they have license to do whatever they want or behave in a way they would not normally behave. Many times, when people try to fit themselves into a new role (for example, if they want to be "popular" in college), they usually end up finding that there are many negative consequences for taking on this role that perhaps they did not realize initially or simply disregarded. There are many things Nicholas can do now that he is actor that probably would not be accepted as a priest. This can be fun, but it can also be damaging, and often times the effects of such things are not seen until one has to suffer the consequences.
What Nicholas is true. When we see someone who looks different than we would be more likely to treat them differently. We can lose a sense of who someone really is if they are always wearing a "mask" and trying to play a role than we will treat them the way we would expect them to be treated. Even though we really are the same person the expectations of us change based upon what we look like or what role in life we are playing. The trror of freedom is that if we keep changing our masks then our ture identity will be lost long the way and we will become what are masks are.
I agree with Nicholas’ statement because I think that when people act like someone other than themselves, they can actually lose their true identity. When someone puts a “mask” on, they can become a different person. Other people look at that person differently and can also treat them differently. The person wearing the mask can transform into their new identity and lose their true identity. The “terror of freedom” is when a person is so free in society, that they can act like whoever they want to be, it can turn into a terrible situation because that person is becoming someone who they are not. It is dangerous to start wearing masks because you can get into a downward spiral where you lose your true identity. It is important to respect your freedom of expression, but to also stay true to who you really are. As Nicholas says, it is very easy to forget who you are if you wear masks. One can become so consumed in the way people treat them when they wearing their masks, that they can try to transform into that person.
This can relate to my own experiences because sometimes, when I have felt the need to “fit in” I have acted like someone other than who I am. Although this may have made people like me, I did not feel good about it in the end because I was not being true to myself. Nicholas’ words are true because it is dangerous to try to be someone who you are not. If everyone conformed to whom they thought society wanted them to be, then everyone would be like everyone else.
I think that a lot of people figuratively wear masks to hide who they really are. People try to be people who they’re not usually because they are looking to please someone else or be accepted. Nicholas talks about literally wearing a mask and seeing how quickly peoples reactions towards him change. He notices how quickly people let their guard down and how easily they can be deceived. People often lie about who they are to people so that they can be accepted. Someone can be one person to you and then be someone completely different to someone else; this shows that they wear their masks. Nicholas talks about freedom from being who you really are with concern. If you lie about who you are to one person, what is going to keep you from lying to someone else? And once you’ve lied to a majority of people in your life you realize you do not know who you are anymore and that you’ve deceived yourself.
I agree with what Nicholas says about masks. I think that in our lives today, most of us have different “masks” that we wear. At least in my case, I know that I wear a different “mask” around my friends compared to one I wear around my family. I know of people who act almost like a completely different person depending on the group of people they are with. We generally have these different personas simply because we want to be liked or approved by the people we are around. In Nicolas’ case, he wears different masks to get certain reactions from the audience. When he wears the horned mask, he is “their fear of hellfire,” however when he changes and puts on the fool’s cap and white mask, he is essentially their source of laughter and entertainment. In a sense, we do the same thing depending on the reaction we want from the people we are around. This really could be called the “terror of freedom” because we have the opportunity to act like a person who we normally would not be. Sometimes, this could get carried away and lead to people not liking you because you being “two-faced” or constantly lying to others.
I think that Nicholas’ is valid and I do agree with the points that he makes. I think his view on his experiences on being in the play for the first time is very true. Often times when myself, or others disguise themselves, they are no longer the same person but have transformed into a whole new person or character. It is easy to act like a different person in front of people and not care what their opinion of you is. Under disguise, it is easy to let one self go and become free, filled with imagination. People my view and treat people differently when they are in disguise with different actions or even express a dangerous side of them self. When Nicholas discovers the dangers of disguise, he comes to an actualization that the appearance on the outside is not always perceived in the right light. The “terror of freedom” is what Nicholas discovers when he is acting he is no longer himself but rather someone else. This person could be dangerous and harmful, which would be all right because the main person is masking their true self.
I think what Nicholas says is true. If we are constantly changing our "masks" then we tend to lose our true selves because we are so caught up in changing our appearances. If you look a certain way, people automatically may think they know the way you act. We are quick to judge people by their appearances. we cannot make assumptions about people just based on the way they look. If you keep conforming to the identity you think people want you to be you will lose your true sense of self. Many time we feel pressured to act a certain way to fit in but this is bad because we lose who we really are. It is important to be ourselves instead of conforming to what society wants so we do not suffer from the "terror of freedom" and losing our real identities.
-meg
I agree with what Nicholas is saying and with the author's message in this excerpt from the novel. It is true that people generally base their opinion on someone based on their physical appearance or façade. When Nicholas was disguised as a demon, the audience jeered at him with hatred. However, when he was dressed as a japer, the audience loved him and he was their hope of laughter. This shows that how you physically portray yourself will effect what people think of you. People generally tend to base their opinion of someone on their "mask". Sometimes people change their "masks" depending on the group or environment that they are in. For example, one might act differently towards a teacher than they would towards one of their best friends. It is easy to lose your true identity among these constant changes in personality or "to forget who you are"; this is what Nicholas means by the "terror of freedom". It is easy to disguise yourself, but it is just as easy to lose your true self among these disguises.
I agree with what Nicholas had to say. I think that the whole concept of wearing masks is true in society. Many people wear "masks" in society to hide their true selves or to pretend to be something that they are not. This "mask" is a sence of security for many people and makes them feel more comfortable in their environment and around certain people.
Also, People in society are contantly being judged by their appearence. People's appearence, whether it abe their clothes, hair, face, or body, is constantly being judged. Some people's feelings, attitudes, and actions are based on other appearence. For example. If a goth with everything on their face peirced 16 times, with black hair, black lipstick, black clothes, and a pale face walks towards you, you may feel a little bit nervous and think that the person is strange or scary. On the other hand, if someone walks towards you are is wearing nice, casual, clothing with few peircings and is attractive, you will not be nervous and you will be excited to talk to them. People are judged on their appearence.
Pat and Nick -- Why are these realities terrifying? The freedoms you're describing sound like positive things to me. Many of you I think come a little closer by suggesting that wearing a mask allows you unlimited choices about who you will be and with those unlimited choices, it's easy to lose oneself. Jess, I liked your analogy about going away to school. No one has any preconceived notions about who you are and what you'll do. Something to think about for next year!
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