A+view+from+the+bridge-+Meeting+3

1) How did Eddie originally think of the immigrants? Why do you think so?

Eddie originally thought that the immigrants were not worthy of coming to America. He wanted Catherine to stay with him and Beatrice instead of with them. He gets jealous of Rodolpho especially because Catherine decides to marry him after spending a lot of time with him and now wants to spend the rest of her life with him. I think Eddie thought this because it is his family and he wanted nobody to split it apart. He was responsible for taking care of Catherine ever since her parents passed away and he want to oblige to this request. He wanted to do it and not anyone else.

2) What are some main differences between Marco and Rodolpho?

Some main differences between Marco and Rodolpho are that Rodolpho becomes romantically involved with Catherine, while Marco is just his sidekick and does not find a life partner. Also, Marco is not really a true threat to Eddie unlike Rodolpho who poses the biggest threat to Eddie because he marries his beloved niece Catherine without Eddie's permission. Finally, Rodolpho does not retaliate when Eddie callis immigration because he truly loves Catherine and wants to gain US citizenship. However, Mraco retaliates and roughs up Eddie because he cannot take it any longer and Eddie needs to stop.

3) Do you agree with the way Eddie treated Catherine once Rodolpho entered?

I do not agree with the way Eddie treated Catherine once Rodolpho entered. Eddie wanted Catherine all to herself because he was given the burden of being her "father" even though he was truly her uncle. He was technically her guardian and wanted to be the best he could possibly be. He treated Catherine like a ten year old girl because he wanted to "protect" her even though he was more of an enigma. He did not even give Rodolpho a chance because he did not want Catherine to get hurt.

4) Do you think Eddie overreacted? How so?

I do think Eddie overreacted. Eddie could have gotten to know Rodolpho and Marco, but never gave them a chance at all. As soon as Rodolpho entered the picture, he immediately judged him and his brother as two people trying to gain citizenship in America. This could have been achieved by marrying an America woman in Catherine. However, it seemed that Rodolpho truly did want to spend the rest of his life with Catherine, but Eddie could not realize that. Eddie needed to realize this, but he didn't thus his life ending tragicly.

5) Would you side with Marco or Eddie?

I would side with Marco. He had a valid point about gaining citizenship in the United States of America. He was worthy of being a citizen just like Eddie was already a citizen of America. Eddie had no right to call immigration on Marco or Rodolpho just because he held a grudge against them. Marco had the right to support Rodolpho because they deserved to stay in America for the rest of their lives. Violence was not the answer, but Marco had to stop Eddie and his madness. Eddie needed to be put to rest because there was much more chaos to come if Marco did not pull the trigger.

__**Summary**__ A View from the Bridge is a play about a man named Eddie who allows his two cousins, Marco and Rodolpho, to illegally stay in the country with him. Eddie supplies them with jobs so they can send money to their family back in Italy. Rodolpho falls in love with Eddie's niece while he is there, but Eddie is not okay with this. He thinks Rodolpho is using Catherine so he can stay in the country. Some time later in the story Eddie becomes a drunk and comes home and gets into a fight with Rodolpho, who is now to be married to Catherine. Eddie has finally had enough of this and he goes report Marco and Rodolpho for being in the country illegally. They don't get taken away so Eddie takes matters into his own hands. He brings a knife and tries to kill Marco and Rodolpho, but Marco fight him and turns the knife on Eddie. Eddie dies and Marco gets sent back to Italy. Rodolpho is allowed to stay because he is with Catherine. In this meeting, we talked about the book in its entirety because we just started it. We all believed that Eddie was a selfish jerk and that he never gave Rodolpho and Marco a chance. We also asked each other why the play was named A View from the Bridge. Joe and Eric believed that the setting was literally from the viewpoint of a bridge, while Adam and Matt believed that one has to look hard to find the meaning of the play. Eddie should have looked at life as half full then half empty. We all had a great time eating Dominos pizza, listening to some classical music, and sharing some great memories as the last independent reading book club. We all enjoyed this book and the animosity between Rodolpho and Eddie because it was very entertaining. This play of course was not as entertaining as Arthur Miller's best work The Crucible.

__**Theme/Imagery**__ One major theme in this play was love. Rodolpho and Catherine both loved each other very much and wanted to spend the rest of their lives with each other. Nobody and they meant nobody was going to stop them, even though Eddie kept on insisting that they were not going to get married. They eventually got married even though Catherine's guardian did not approve whatsoever because he believed that Rodolpho cared more about gaining US citizenship than loving Catherine. Eddie also loved Catherine and would not let her leave him. He was responsible for Catherine after her parents passed away. It was his obligation to take care of her while she was still living with him in his house. Also, the bridge represents looking as life as a long journey. There should be no reason why Eddie shouldn't have let Catherine make her own decisions. Even though she was still a young child, doesn't mean that she cannot make a life changing decision. Life is a long journey and Eddie will not have the joy of experiencing it after Marco killed him in their duel. Instead, Catherine and Rodolpho will have the pleasure of having a long and successful marriage without a beloved relative in Eddie.