User:Felipe cuesta/sandbox

History

Rhinoceros was written by Eugene Ionesco in 1959. The play was different than other theatrical works at the time as it didn’t have a similar story line as previously seen as well as its plot having of an absurd nature. Ionesco’s play mirrored the problem of social conformity seen during the war as well as in his personal life. In his childhood Ionesco grew up with a father that conformed to whichever political party had power, and not for any political or intellectual reasons. This set the base for Ionesco and his commentary on social conformity. The play rhinoceros is not only a commentary on social conformity during the war and on his father's political views but on how social conformity is a recurring problem in society.

About the author: Eugene Ionesco

Eugène Ionesco was born on November 26,1909, in the city of Slatina, Romania, to a Romanian father and a French mother. Shortly after Ionescos birth his parents split up and Ionesco was taken to Paris, France, with his mother. Ionesco grew up in Paris, but returned to Romania to get his college degree from the University of Bucharest in 1925. He then spent several years teach French in Romanian high schools, until he eventually returned to Paris to pursue a doctorate, which he completed in 1939. In 1939, fearing Nazi oppression, Ionesco and his wife fled Paris, returning to Romania. Unfortunately, soon after his arrival, Romania was absorbed into the Axis. In 1942 Ionesco fled Romania, and returned to France. In February of 1944, tiring of city life, Ionesco and his family relocated to the coastal town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise. Four months later, Sainte-Mere-Eglise became the first town occupied by allied forces during the Normandy landing. After the liberation of France Ionesco returned to Paris.

Responses to the play and studies about social conformity Critical studies that have been done about social conformity and would go along with what Rhinoceros is trying to portray is a social experiment that a professor in 1967 performed on his students. The experiment is called The Wave, which was an experiment that a history teacher decided to perform on his students when teaching them about communism and social conformity. This teacher was teaching his students about what happened when Hitler came into power; his students could not wrap it around their minds how people could just let his happen. The wave was a name that the professor gave to the specific class. They were to follow certain strict rules and recruit more students to this movement. For the first time many students felt like they were part of something big, and great. It started to get out of control, and other students who did not follow them started to end up getting hurt. At the end the teacher decided that he would have a rally, and the students would meet their leader. At this rally the teacher put up a video of Hitler, and told his students this is your leader. This is what you have become just because they wanted to fit in, and become part of something that gave meaning to their life. This was a great example on how people become rhinoceros, just like they did in the play. The rhinoceros was disguised as a beautiful creature, when in reality is was just a cover to conform to what they thought was the norm.

There were a few responses on January 22, 1960 at the Odeon-Theatre de France from a few critiques. Jacques Lemarchad said, “ Rhino said things so limpid- though whether in the form of allegory- it would really confess well fool not to hear and it seems to me, having heard them, they can not fail to interest sensitivity. Jean Vigneron said,  “ Rhino is a work entirely clear, a clear symbolism, even stronger than it is! Accessible and with a range of greater as all can understand its meaning. The critics who saw Rhinoceros noticed the symbolism of the rhinoceros, they saw how people just became social conformers