How do solve problem like maria

Much more about their true relationship is implied by their flirtatious acting during the song than the lyrics themselves provide. By the end of the song, they are holding hands, smiling, and cheek-to-cheek, while the male lead sings, "Don't dance all night with me People will say we're in love. And that is exactly the point. The Sound of Music is a film and theatre production of the same era and genre as Oklahoma!

In order to fully understand the song lyrics, you must also understand the full context of the scene with Maria and the nuns, including what has happened just before the song begins. We already know that Maria is out in the hills enjoying nature and singing, of course! The nuns are quietly discussing the new "recruits" and the subject of Maria comes up.

They talk about her lack of discipline and yet she is also likable. At the end, Maria herself comes running into the abbey, hair a mess, late for prayer again, and stops short in front of the sisters who stop singing.

She tidies herself and tries to walk away with decorum, then the nuns resume singing the final "impossible problem" line: "how do you hold a moonbeam in your hand? The entire scene must be taken together, along with prior scenes which establish that Maria herself IS the problem that the nuns do not know how to solve. It is certainly not standard English to write or speak the way this sentence is written, but in a musical for stage or film, the rules do not always apply.

In fact, it is in large part, the breaking of rules -- like solemn nuns randomly breaking into song -- that makes the musical theatre genre so unique and engaging. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top.

Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Asked 2 years, 3 months ago. Active 2 years, 3 months ago. Viewed 7k times. Improve this question. Christian Macht. Christian Macht Christian Macht 4 4 silver badges 7 7 bronze badges.

Where is the problem? So, "How do you solve a problem like Maria does? It's very contextual. Consider, "How would you bake a cake like Maria? FWIW, I assumed the "like Maria would" meaning when seeing the subject line, but thought it would be fun to consider that Maria is like the problem - it turned out that was backwards compared to the intended reading.

But I've never seen the film. It's clearly implied from context that Maria is the problem, but the language is ambiguous. I had the same problem with a line from the song She's a Maniac : " And she's dancing like she's never danced before. Sometimes you have to read the context to understand what's intended.

Nobody is discussing intonation. Although not a full answer by itself, it is especially important outside of song. Music often ignores or significantly changes tonal emphasis, delays and accents. Using the example from the previous comment, if pauses are placed between words and the voice raised with exclamation at the end of " Tonal changes can still confuse non-native speakers.

Show 6 more comments. Active Oldest Votes. You're right: "How do you solve a problem like Maria? Improve this answer. Context is key, but would you consider the popularity of this musical to have coined an idiom of it?

Compare it to the line, "How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand? You can't, Maria can't, and Maria is a problem that cannot be solved or moreover solve for herself. Hypothetical arguments in The Sound of Music [ english. Promoted Content.

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What's in a name: Royal Court's antisemitism is worryingly Orwellian. Leave those kids alone: Should some things be off-limits in theatre criticism? Unboxed festival — just another way for government to downgrade the arts? Give the critic a different seat — and then see what they think of the show. Before trans performers can hope to have equality, we need equity. How do you catch a cloud and pin it down? How do you find a word that means Maria? A flibbertigibbet! A will-o'-the wisp! A clown!

Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her Many a thing she ought to understand But how do you make her stay And listen to all you say How do you keep a wave upon the sand?

She's a demon! She's a lamb! She'd out pester any pest Drive a hornet from its nest She could throw a whirling dervish out of whirl She is gentle!