The Artist as a Scapegoat

     Throughout history, there has always been a code of morals, whether that be personal or religious or what have you, people have always had a sense of right and wrong. In the play The Shape of Things, there are only four characters throughout the script. All four of these characters lack a moral compass, some more than others, but one in particular. Both couples (Adam and Evelyn, and Philip and Jenny) are participating in dysfunctional relationships where cheating, lying, and not being true to oneself seems to be acceptable behavior. In the end, this behavior sabotages both relationships and leaves these people in ruin, some more than others.
     From the very beginning, Evelyn is seen stepping over the line at the museum, already violating a rule. By defacing a statue to giving Adam an ultimatum about his friends, one could say that Evelyn has the least morals of all the characters. Additionally, she used and manipulated Adam for her art project, used for her own gain. She lied the entire time to Adam while they were together with total disregard to the pain she brought Adam and ultimately, his two closest friends. She spoiled good relationships and didn't care one bit.
     From a different perspective, Adam had the least morals. We are all responsible for our own actions. Not only was Adam not true to himself while dating Evelyn, he also cheated on Evelyn, and by default, his best friend. Although you could say that Eve changed Adam, she technically did not force him to do anything, he did everything she suggested willingly. This means that Adam was not "forced" to do anything, he willingly did things just to please his girl and disregarded his true friends.
     Although Adam, Philip, and Jenny were all untrue to their friendships and cheated on each other, their bad behavior pales in comparison to Evelyn's. She used an ultimatum in her relationship with Adam, which in my opinion, one should never do in a relationship. She also used and manipulated Adam for her art project with no regard to his feelings. She hurt Adam and she had no clue why it would be painful to him. She is by far lacking in morals the most.

blog post #2

There are quite a few people who can be called a "villain" in the play, but the person who takes on this role the best, is Evelyn.  She is an artists of strange taste and chooses Adam to be her canvas to work on.  Her project entailed transforming Adam from a overweight bum, into a fit, clean and well carried man.  She saw Adam as weak which was why she chose him to be her canvas; he could be easily manipulated and morphed into what she wanted.  She got him to lose weight, stop biting his nail, get a nose job, change his close and hairstyle; all things that bettered his appearance.

 Although this does seem like she is doing something positive, that wasn't the case.  She didn't do these things to be nice to her "boyfriend" who she supposedly loved, she did it for her art project.  She didn't actually love Adam, or even see him as her boyfriend; he was simply a "specimen" in which she studied to see if she could shape him into a more attractive human being.

She managed to make Adam do these changes for a few reasons.  Adam was weak and when an "attractive" young lady like Evelyn showed interest in him, he did what it took to keep her regardless of how crazy it was(nose job).  Secondly, Adam thought that Evelyn was in love with him and she played on his emotions and manipulated him into thinking that what she was doing was right.

Evelyn wouldn't have been able to manipulate someone like Philip; he is confident, well dressed, and know who he is while Adam on the other hand does not.  It is okay for you to make changes, but don't make them for someone else, make them for yourself.  Also don't let yourself get taken advantage of, be strong and don't forget who you are.

Blog post 2

In The Shape of Things, morals play a very important role in the plot. Each character has their own set of moral codes that they follow, making conflict inevitable. Evelyn is arguably the most lacking in morals, looking at the way she lied to and manipulated those who she calls her friends. Evelyn is not the only one in the play who demonstrates a lack of morals.

Evelyn constantly lied about who she was, and she manipulated her boyfriend Adam in order to get her way. She even went as far as telling Adam to choose between her and his friends. She constantly told Adam to change himself for her, and wouldn't take no for an answer. At one point, she even kissed one of Adams friends.

Adam isn't innocent either however. He would listen to Evelyn when she wanted him to change, even though it went against his own wishes, and lied to his friends about why. He also had an affair.

In the end, I believe Adam could be described as the most lacking in morals. While Evelyn was more manipulative, Adams actions showed a stronger lack in morals. Anybody who cheats on his girlfriend but then goes on to choose her over his own friends has serious moral issues.

Blog Post #2

Paragraph 1: restate the question and give it some context in terms of the events of the play
--Paragraph 2: look at one possible answer
--Paragraph 3: look at a very different possible answer
--Paragraph 4: settle on the best possible answer and explain why it was the best

  Who is the most lacking in morals?  Why?  Is there some a critically important ethical principal this person violates (review "Ethic of Justice

This story involves many complex characters. They are average every day americans, in a small college town. None of these characters are criminals or outlaws, but they aren't described as pure saints either. Which character has the worst morals.

Some people would say that Adam lacks the most morals, for letting Eve manipulate him. He changed his exercise routine, wardrobe, and even got a tattoo for this girl. 

Others would say that Eve is the wrongdooer for her sick twisted plot to manipulate poor Adam. Her actions were cold and calculated. She messed with the concept of love and thats wrong,

The character most lacking in morals is Eve. She makes up her mind to target and manipulate a fellow student into making him believe he was loved. During this process she manipulated his behavior and norms. She violated the number one rule, trust. 

Blog Post 2

When deciding if something is ethical or not, one must evaluate if their opinion is biased. In the play, The Shape of Things, readers question the actions of Eve throughout the play after she reveals that Adam was her art project. People argue whether or not what she did was ethical, but the real question they should be asking is what her real motive was.
If her motives were selfish then it would be considered unethical because she wasted Adam's time just so that she could finish a project. The action of using people is a very unethical act because it degrades a human's life to a daily used tool. However, emotions could also be a factor when considering if her actions were ethical or not. She might have been mad at Adam for going for Jenny in the past so it could have led Eve to embarrass Adam in public.
Eve might have done some questionable things to Adam, but Adam's oblivious nature made him such an easy target. Maybe what Eve did to Adam was too beneficial to call unethical because of his previous disgusting lifestyle. It also was Adam's fault for being easily manipulated as a human tool so it is somewhat his own responsibility. But at the end of the day, Eve made Adam a better and more social person.
In my opinion, I believe that Eve crossed the ethical line because if her intentions from the very start. This plan or idea that came to Eve required her to abandon all of her empathy when dealing with Adam because it would lead to an inevitable end for Adam. She also had a incentive to break Adam's heart to further her own objective and need.

Art Expirience

The first time I saw art was the first time I realized art wasn't a thing. I saw my surroundings and saw art in everything I saw. This is when I started becoming aware of my surroundings and what was going on in the world around me. To me, art serves some sort of purpose in reality whether that be physically, mentally, emotionally or culturally. I see nothing in this world that doesn't fit into any category.

By recognizing art you must recognize what it is. Creativity is the backbone of the human race and evolution and without it we would not develop both physically and mentally as human beings. Open your eyes and look around you. You could make the case that nothing is art because everything is art, or vice versa. Everything was once an idea. It is not the idea that is art but what happens after the idea is put into the real world.

This made me realize the importance of everything both physically and virtually. Before I might see something and not see any importance in it. Not until you put an imaginary timeline on things is when you will realize it is art. Take a promethean board: You see one in every classroom and think nothing of it. It’s a cool device but it has become a normality seeing one everyday for most people. Take into consideration the effort, energy, and creativity in its purist form. What started as an idea of what could be was put on paper and engineered to become the real piece of art it is.

I really connected to this way of thinking about art because it makes me more appreciative of the things around me. They might be the most simplist thing but it is not until you look at something in depth to see what it really took to make something. Inventions are art and remain art even when changed over time. What started as a wheel was just a circle, and now this design is used everywhere. The importance of this is it promotes a better way of living and most importantly change. Art is the creativity that surrounds us and progresses us through time and until someone realizes art is everything they must realize it started as nothing.

Blog post 2

There has always been controversy between the distinction of what is right and what is wrong, this is called morality. The play "The Shape of Things" by Neil Labute is a great example of this controversy, distinguishing right from wrong. From our point of view, every character acts incorrectly throughout the play; but who are we to judge what is right and what is wrong if our perception of morality is merely a prejudice that has been taught to us. Throughout the play every character acts incorrectly, all of them violate the core principles of morality, but who is the most lacking in morals?

From all the characters the one I would say lacks morality the most is Evelyn. At the beginning she is shown as a lovely woman, she is sweet and seems to care about Adam. She gets into Adam's head in such a way that he changes completely just to make her happy. She lied about everything, from the begging to the end. Evelyn made Adam loose weight, change his hair, she made him change the way he dressed, get nose surgery and get contact lenses. Not only she manipulated him to change his physical appearance, she also made him change his morals. Her actions made him become a liar, she made him choose her over his friends in order for them to keep dating. At the end she exposed him, she gave out a speech in public telling all she had done with him, she basically told everyone Adam was her puppet and she did with him whatever she wanted. All of her actions were morally incorrect because she is using a human being as if it was a thing, just a mere object. She breaks every principle of morality by using Adam for her project, because the end doesn't justify the means.

Another character that was morally incorrect was Adam. He was incorrect by letting one's opinion change him, he let someone "shape" him and lost all of his morals for her. He agreed to everything she said without thinking about it. He became a liar to keep her and to keep his friends as well, but at the end he ended up choosing her over them. I would say the character who is the most lacking in morals was Evelyn. There is no way what she did can be considered as normal, or human. She messed up another person's life just to get a good grade, to prove a point. She ruined Adam, she broke his heart, made him lose his friends, and also ruined Philip's and Jenny's marriage.

In my mind almost every character in the play violates my code of ethics, but this is because
I can not assume that everyone shares the same code of ethics. The one character the play that I would consider to be the most at fault is Evelyn. She found Adam who lacks confidence, and continuously tries to influence him to break his ethics. She knew exactly what she was doing, yet seemed to show no remorse. she led him to believe they were in love while along the way he was changing himself for her just so she could break his heart.

 Adam is also to blame, because he is way to easily influenced. He should not allow someone like that to change him, and he should have seen her bad intentions from the beginning. He also cheated on Eve,and while she is a far worse character he simply never has the confidence or courage to say no to anything . He is so vulnerable to evil and I believe that is his greatest fault.

Blog post #4

In "The Shape of Things" characters do a few immoral things but which character  is most guilty of being immoral? And what did they do that makes them the most immoral? Did they plan on acting this way? Well our only real options to answer our first question are Adam, Evelyn, Phillip, and Jenny.

The first argument that pops into my mind is for Evelyn. When Evelyn and Adam meet near the statue Evelyn gives off a flirtatious vibe and makes Adam start to think that he likes her. Evelyn then tells Adam that he should change his hair, get a tattoo, get plastic surgery and do a number of things to change his look and also change who he is. Adam fell under a spell of love for Evelyn and Evelyn took advantage of that and manipulated Adam. This would not even be a big deal if Evelyn actually had an interest in Adam at the end of the day when his metamorphosis is over but sadly that just is not the case. Evelyn feels no actual connection with Adam. She simply made Adam make sacrifices and changes to his life because he thought he was doing it for her but in reality it was just for Evelyn to do some research for her college thesis and then walk away from the relationship like it never happened. Neglecting how Adam is being impacted. This total disregard for Adam and his well being and playing with his heart stands tall as the most immoral action in the book.

Some would try to argue Adam for the most immoral. Because he placed an extreme amount of trust in Evelyn just after meeting her and he could be at blame for what happened to him and because of what Adam did with Jenny, his ex girlfriend who is now marrying Adam's friend Phillip. But this does not amount to what Evelyn did. Evelyn never had any feelings for Adam when Adam was stuck between loving Evelyn and watching his friend marry his ex. Evelyn's immorality was long and drawn out  like it was planned as with Adam it happens more all at once and once begun seems more like improve.

Blog Post 2

Within the play The Shape of Things, the ideas of morals are brought into question. Every character behaving differently and acting upon their own morals, while breaking the moral codes others hold. This is most noticeable in the character of Evelyn to any viewer with the way she manipulate and plays people. Though she is not the only person in the wrong.

One way you could see it is as the obvious Evelyn is the biggest wrong-doer. She manipulates Adam, using him for an art project, which I might add repulsed everyone who saw it. She made him make decisions to change himself for her (while trying to play it off as simple suggestions, leading him on, but truly it is his will), going so far as to make Adam choose between her and his friends. She kisses Adam's friend, defaces a statue, and lies about who she really is.

Adam is also a prime candidate. He acts entirely upon his own will throughout the play. He makes his own choices throughout the play, changing himself for Evelyn even when he doesn't like it and doesn't have to. Not only that, but he lied to his friends about the things he did, had an affair with a friend (and his friend's fiance), and checked out other girls and such. In the end, he even chose to abandon his friends for a romance that he believed was real (but in fact was not).

In my mind, the best answer is no single character though. I believe truly every character is equally lacking and full of morals, though that changes depending on one's point of view, their own morals. If one was to look and was above morals, they'd see everyone as equally wrong and right. Though since Jenny and Phillip were in the play less, they have less time to be seen lacking morals, thus showing off Evelyn and Adam as more lacking in morals than Jenny and Phillip. I believe Evelyn and Adam both do major wrong, about the same amount, and it's all just as bad as each other. They both worked off of each other, one's morally wrong decision would breed a morally wrong decision in the other, thus making them equal.

Morals and ethics have always been around, though not always in the same form. In "the shape of things" the story of Adam and Eve is represented through the characters Adam and Evelyn  where in the myth eating an apple makes them see the difference between right wrong Evelyn makes Adam do things that could be considered immoral or lead him towards an immoral path.
In the story Evelyn could be considered the most immoral character as she is willing to commit crimes like vandalism upon a statue in pursuit of art and manages to manipulate others for her purpose.
Adam could also be seen as immoral as he was willing to cheat on his girlfriend with his friend's fiance and allows himself to be changed by Evelyn.

Moti Tesgera

English 4

Artist as a scapegoat 

       Over time there has been a line between morals and ethics. These things have been a principle and have been followed and when they are not followed or broken there are always consequences. In "The Shape of things"  there is a reference of ancient biblical history. This is by sin consuming Eve and making her eat the apple and then making Adam eat the apple. A similar thing happened in "The Shape of things" were Evelyn slept with Adam and they both cheated on their girlfriend or fiancee.

   If I had to chose one person out of these four to pick as the most unethical would be Evelyn. I would chose her because the moment they introduced her into the play she was already vandalizing and breaking some rule. Just like how in the bible eve did not want to listen to Adam and she wanted to eat the apple, Evelyn did not want to leave the museum and she wanted to spray paint the statue. She is the clear cut person who is the most unethical.

  

   Another person that would be considered unethical is Adam. I would say Adam because he slept with Jenny. But after he slept with her he lied to Evelyn and said all they did was kiss. Jenny could also be another person who is unethical. This is because she sleeps with Adam. But, The difference between Adam and Jenny is that Jenny is engaged to Philip.

   At the end the person who is the most unethical would be Evelyn. I chose her because she is the one that is made to look like the villain in the play. All the way from the beginning the play writer makes her seem like the villain. He does this buy making her break several rules in the first scene when they were in the museum. He makes her seem this way from the beginning to paint a picture in our heads so that we will allways think that Evelyn is the villain and Adam is not. I personally chose Evelyn because if it werent for her actions adam would have never done what he did.