The Universal Big Bang Theory

I would like to talk more about the clichés and stereotypes brought up in class regarding Willie Stark. I think that just because certain aspects are commonplace or recognizable does not necessarily make is a blatant stereotype. I really enjoy watching The Big Bang Theory which is about four physicists. Normally, we would all think that such group could never be accessible to the public let alone funny and entertaining. Yet these four characters exhibit characteristics that we all see every day. Everyone knows a Sheldon. Some would say that these characters are stereotypical. But it is exactly this that allows others who are not physicists to enjoy this show. While I was watching Willie Stark I was swept up in the story because the character of Willie Stark was so believable. I recall a certain pastor from my childhood who used many of the same rhetorical tactics to preach the gospel to his congregation. Even more so, I began to make connections to thoughts about recent politics. I began to ask why someone goes into politics and I began to see another side to why politics become so corrupt. Because these stereotypes had so much truth to them, I was able to make connections and sympathize with figures previously beyond my fathoming imagination. I believe that stereotypes are what make stories universal and timeless. Like a Mozart Opera or a Jane Austin novel, there has to be elements for the reader to make connections. What's important is that there is intention or reason behind the stereotype in order to make believable. That is something debatable in Willie Stark. For sure, good acting is an essential part of this opera. The music by itself does not carry the story well. In the end, I think that Carlyle Floyd could have used a little help in the writing of the libretto. Some aspects were just very strange like the use of the radio to tell the back story.