IOP Journal #5

I am just a little nervous for my IOP presentation. I have my analysis down, I'm just scared I'll talk too fast or mess up! haha but i should be fine. I chose to do a powerpoint presentation, with many many slides with some awesome pictures. I would also like to involve the class, just a little, answering simple questions or reading quotes nothing big. I hope that's alright because I haven't seen anyone else do that yet. Oh well. I really enjoyed re-reading the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" I felt like i got much more out of it the second time through. I got little details that i would never have seen before. I found it extremely beneficial especially when analyzing. I do think that it would help a lot on my world lit to re-read the plays, I've re-read scenes but the entire play would bring more things to light. Anyway, when i first got my topic of animals, i wasn't entirely sure where to go with it or if it would be too cliche. I felt like it worked out pretty well and that I was insightful in my analysis but that will just have to wait until I have already given my presentation.

IOP Journal #4

I think i have the analysis of the dogs finalized

the dogs represent protection given to women by the men who care for them. The first time dogs are mentioned is the story of how Janie’s father was run out of town because he raped her mama. This man abused a women’s sexuality and therefore was a menace and a threat and to he was chased away in order to protect Janie’s mother and the other women in the town. The dogs lend a sense of security and make the women feel loved and safe. Tea Cake the only man who truly loved Janie shares the same qualities of these loyal animals. He is extremely loyal to Janie, he loves her wholly, and will protect her no matter what. “He worked like a dog for her” (177), this shows his deep devotion to his wife. Every women dreams of a man like that, one who will care for them. But it is these same qualities that brought such pain to Janie after he was gone. Tea Cake was bitten by a mad dog during the hurricane, under normal conditions the dog would’ve left Tea Cake alone, however because the dog was confused he believed Tea Cake was harming Janie because he was her husband, and in that society all husbands were harmful to their wives. However even while in the midst of intense pain Tea Cake shows his love for Janie “Tea Cake couldn’t come back to himself until he had got rid of that mad dog that was in him and he couldn’t get rid of the dog and live” (178). He wanted to protect Janie from the evil inside of him but it had such a strong hold upon him that he had to sacrifice himself in order to save her.

IOP Journal #3

The dogs are a little more tricky to figure out. Because the dogs provide protection to women, when they run off the man that raped Janie's mother but it was also a dog that killed Tea Cake. I believe that Hurston is trying to show how sometimes trying to protect women actually ends up hurting them more. Because Janie's father wanted to get back together with her mother and marry her but the dogs ran him off because they thought they were protecting her. But if the father stayed than maybe Janie would've had a mother and a father and been able to grow up like most children and live a happy life. Or maybe not. With Tea Cake the dog killed the only man that truly loved Janie and that she loved back with all her heart. The dog believed that Tea Cake was a threat and so he wanted to get rid of him, causing much more pain to Janie than anything else. However it was a mad dog so maybe it was too crazy to realize that Tea Cake was actually a blessing in her life and not something that was harming her. There is also the quote that says "he worked like a dog for her" this refers to Tea Cake and his devotion to Janie, so maybe the dog represents devotion and love, but that doesn't fit. I will have to look deeper into the analysis of the dog.

IOP Journal #2

The next animal Hurston focuses on is the vultures. These are present after the burial of the mule and they pick at the mules flesh. These birds do not kill their prey, nor do they rarely attack healthy vibrant animals. This shows that they are dependant on the suffering of other creatures in order to survive and gain sustenance. The vultures represent rumors and gossip spread by other women. Rumors do not come from happy marriages and well meaning citizens but they spawn from suffering and pain. Rumors live off of the pain of others and they need that pain in order to survive and grow. Also Hurston shows that rumors are greater than humans because of the personification of vultures in that scene. No other animal is given the power to speak like humans do and so this shows that they have more power than the other animals, and the animals represent human things, so it shows how destructive rumors can be. Even though they do not cause the death or the direct pain, they do nothing to stop what is happening.

IOP Journal #1

For my IOP I chose to analyze the way Hurston uses animals in "Their Eyes Were Watching God" to symbolize the varying degrees of suffering felt by women in a male dominant society. The first animal I really began analyzing was the mule. The mule represents the direct abuse that women receive at the hands of men. This means physical abuse, lack of emotional care, dominance and such things. This is portrayed through the way the town talks about the mule, how it is starved and so skinny that the women use his ribs for a washboard. This illustrates the lack of emotional care given to Janie by Joe Starks. Janie is a larger metaphor of women and the animals depict what she experiences throughout the novel. Though Joe gives her all the material things she desires he does not openly show his affection to her and this causes her to question her marriage. Jody also forces her to be submissive under his voice, he fights with her and continues to degrade her until she complies with what he wants. Even after she has given way he still crushes her even lower which is exhibited by Joe standing on the dead mule and using the body as a platform. Even Tea Cake, Janie's best and most loving husband, still demonstrates dominance over her. When he whips her just to show that he is boss. The word whip instead of beats denotes that Janie is lowering than human, because a whip is something you would use on a beast of burden to maintain power over it.

p.s. I didn't originally write my journals on the blog, I just typed them all at once. Sorry that it's a little out of order and scatter brained.

Blood Wedding Journal #3

Analysis of various symbols in Blood Wedding and how they are used.....



Knife: jealousy (causes death/violence)

Littlest Knife: women, because they are the heart of jealousy

Grapes: wealth, people seek for wealth

Horse: Bride

River/Water: true love

Birds: Death/carriers of death

Moon: truth

Wind: power (double edged)

Beggar Women: Death

Trees: Deception/lies

Blood: Passion/emotion

Orange Blossoms: purity/virginity



A knife is a tool used to kill and jealousy is a very strong emotion that invokes the desire to murder or get rid of the offended person. Because jealousy does not have to progress into feelings of murder, the knife can also be used to harm/injure gravely. The mother is so adamantly against knives because of the harm it brought to her family. Her husband and child were killed in the vineyard, their own place of wealth and fortune. If a person has a vineyard that is prosperous they are seen as very well off and a respectable person, and since the husband was murdered in his vineyard we can see that he was killed because the Felix's were jealous of his wealth. Though his death did not gain wealth for them it gave them a sense of accomplishment because he was no longer around. What goes deeper than mere jealousy over worldly things is the jealousy of love. The littlest knife is women because only a women can evoke such strong emotions into a man that would lead him to murder again and again. The littlest knife cannot be held in the hand, this shows that it cannot be controlled and a women's passion cannot be contained. But it can penetrate the skin deeper than any other knife, emotions are stronger than physical pain and so a women can hurt a man more than anything else.



The horse is the bride because Leonardo is the skilled horseman, he is able to aptly control the horse and make it do whatever he wants. The bride states that she did not want to go with Leonardo but she was forced, this shows that he had great control over her and was able to coerce her into his desires. Also the horse does not want the water. Water is true love because it can quench the fire that the bride is feeling, and it is what she truly wants, it is described as a small refreshing amount. True love can save anything but if there was too much it would no longer be special and so there must needs be a small amount. The bride seeks after the black river because there is a large amount of it and she thinks it will be better than something small, the river is described as black because it is corrupted and no longer pure. It has been darken by deceit and jealousy. The bridegroom states that there is only one horse in the world, this expresses his deep love for the bride because there is no other person for him. He would do anything to save her and loves her profusely. When Leonardo is telling the bride that she is caught in this deceit by her own will he states that she untied the horse. This means that she let her passions go, she no longer tried to control herself and let herself run free, even if what she was running to was harmful to her.

The moon sheds light upon the night and allows things to be seen that wouldn't normally be visible to the naked eye during night fall. The moon is the revealer of truth, because it brings light it makes the truth known. Although the trees can cast shadows on the ground and make it darker so the moon's light can't penetrate the moon will always be able to shed at least some light even in the darkest trees. Because the trees shade the truth this makes them deceit. The woodcutters wish to chop down the trees and destroy the deceit because it pulls apart relationships and is very harmful, the woodcutters are similar to the chorus in Oedipus. And like the chorus they know a little bit more than the audience and they wish to help the protagonist in his quest. The wind is another force that is trying to knock down the trees, however the wind is described as double-edged. Meaning that there is a good side and a bad side, the wind represents power. Power can do a lot of good and can help a lot of people, but with a price, it will corrupt the person it is serving. Most often with power there comes many deceits and lies because it is uncertain how that person became so powerful and there are often hidden plans ans secrets to bring them out of power. Power, however cannot touch the truth. The wind cannot effect the moon, it can blow clouds in the way but eventually the moon will still shine. And so we see that truth brings down power and is able to reveal the core of power, making it weaker.

Blood Wedding Journal #2

To what extent have you found it possible, in your consideration of literary works, to separate the individual from his or her public role?

In Blood Wedding the bride has two different personalities, the one she shares with the world and the one she keeps hidden to herself. Lorca uses this concept of inner and outer self to demonstrate that when a person is expected to act a certain way they will innerlly resent the task. Bride seems very willing and even happy about marrying bridegroom "I am longing to be your wife. And to be alone with you and hear no other voice but yours." (54). Here the bride outwardly states that she desires to be with bridegroom and she wants to be his alone and not be influenced by Leonardo. Previously Leonardo was talking to her, trying to get her to sway from her course of marriage, and when she states she does not want those other influences she is throwing herself under the control of bridegroom. Though these convictions seem truthful and filled with a loving intent, there is a darker side to bride. When she is away from the bridegroom and his mother she is harsh to her maid, uncaring to her friends, and all around a nasty person. She does not care for the wedding nor for the bridegroom, all she wants is to be alone and to maintain her power. "They are dark clouds -- an ill wind inside me" (41), dark clouds bring an image of unpleasant foreboding and trouble. This shows her unwillingness to love bridegroom and to share her entire self with him, the ill wind furthers these thoughts of her because she does not wish him well but ill. The wind will blow over both of them and cause trouble and break their love apart. She states that she wishes to marry him when she is in his presence and the mother's presence but inside she does not wish to marry him at all.

In Wild Duck Hjalmar is considered to be the bread winner, the one to provide for the family as is expected of the man during that time. His friends and the public believe that he is working diligently at his photography business in order to put food on the table and allow his family to live in comfort. However he barely ever works. His wife Gina takes the photographs, schedule the appointments and tracks all the finances. Hjalmar will sometimes touch up the photos, but often Hedvig or Gina will do that work as well. He is able to consolidate himself by stating that he is working on his invention, a thing that will bring back his father's name and give the family honor. It turns out that Hjalmar barely provides anything for his family and a lot of the needed money comes from the charity of Werle. When he discovers this he is greatly angered and ashamed, however he does not begin working but rather begins to leave his family. On the outside Hjalmar seems like a hard working man, when really he does not provide for his family the way he should. Ibsen uses this depiction of the public man and the private man to illustrate that a person cannot keep living with multiple personalities because eventually one will overcome the other. In Hjalmar's case his lack of work ethic was the stronger of the two and because he was unwilling to work to solve the issues in his family his daughter committed suicide and it crushed both him and his wife.

Blood Wedding Journal #1

In Blood Wedding internal conflict is used to create a mode of tension and suspense which draws the audience in and captivates their attention. The first example of internal conflict is seen with the mother, she is still fighting the battle of her husbands murder even though it happened years ago. She fears for her sons life and does not want him to go anywhere that could possible endanger him, yet she wants him to go out and experience the world and become a man. She is torn between her fear and her love for her son. This tension forces her to accept that her son is a grown man and can make his own choices but it causes her great pain. There is also this strained relationship between the mother and her son, she loves him and he loves her but he becomes very short tempered and controlling with her once she begins reverting back to the murder story of her husband. This conflict between mother and son illustrates a power struggle between them and shows how the son is trying to grow and break away from his mothers influence.
The Wife to Leonardo has deep love for her husband and her child, however she is pained by her husbands actions. She feels that he does not love her and that he is seeking another to hold. This causes her endless grieving, however she hides it from her husband and puts on a facade of happiness. This is shown through the song she sings to her sleeping child. "His wounded hooves/ his frozen mane/ and in his eyes/ a silver dagger" (26). The hooves represent traveling and moving forward, their relationship is wounded and so it cannot move forward and is stuck in a state of bickering. Again with the frozen mane, it is no longer something of beauty, it is merely a tangle of dank misery. The eyes have been attacked by a silver dagger, the eyes are the place to see and to take in the beauty of the world. The eyes represents their marriage, because with the marriage she believed she would be able to see the beauty in the world. However it was attacked by a silver dagger, silver shows that it is of great worth and so this means that the husband went off seeking for something better. Most likely his previous fiancee who is very wealthy, and so he desired to have more than what he already had. And so the wife is torn between wanting to love her husband and knowing that he no longer longs for her the way he once did.
Lastly the bride shows on the outside that she wants to marry the bridegroom and she is happy and full of love towards him. However on the inside she is bitter and does not want to give up the good life she has to this man. She is angry and harsh with her maid and wants nothing to do with the shows of wedding poured upon her. She is struggling with the prospect of wanting to remain single and in power under her father but knowing that once he dies she can no longer keep the property and so she would lose all her power. She decides that marriage would allow her to keep her father's lands but she is unwilling to love the man she marries.

Topic Tracking

The topic I chose to track was the theme of a persons sense of duty ultimately leading to their downfall.

In Oedipus this is shown very bluntly with Oedipus himself, for it is his duty to save Thebes from the plague and by doing so he discovers his terrible past and blinds himself. With Jocasta it is not so simple, however after Laius is murdered she becomes a widow. In ancient Greece it was very dishonorable to be a single women and so when Oedipus rescues Thebes and becomes king it is her duty to marry him. By marrying the new king she accidentally marries her own son, bringing shame to her name and causing her to commit suicide. For Creon it is his duty to serve the king and to follow orders and when he is sent to Delphi to discover the cure for the plague he begins the quest of murder mystery which brings the curse upon Oedipus. Now it would seem that Creon gaining the kingdom would be something good, however he stated that he did not want the worry of being king and so this brought about the downfall of his freedom and later in the trilogy he does indeed fall. Sophocles is not saying that by being obedient one will always fall, but he is warning against performing ones duty with hidden motives. For Oedipus wanted to peoples praise, and that is why he chose to try and save the people. Jocasta did not love Oedipus when she married him but she wanted his power and to maintain her glory. Creon did not have to accept the kingdom, however he chose to in order to remain powerful. Therefore we see that there is always a hidden intent and that is what causes someone to fall.
Ibsen also chooses to show how ones duty destroys the individual. However he uses the concept of conflicting duties. When an individual has to chose between two conflicting duties the struggle will be to immense and they will end without success. Hjalmar is the bread winner of the household, it is his responsibility to provide for his family and to work for their support. However he also has a duty to his father, he wishes to bring back his father's honor. With these two conflicting duties Hjalmar does not know how to act. He keeps up the facade that he is still working, doing photography and such, however it is his wife who takes all the pictures and deals with the entire business portion of his job. He takes little responsibility over the work but still claims to be the bread winner. Instead of working at a real job he continually pours over his invention, which will supposedly bring honor back to his father. However he never completes this project and in fact spends most of his time with his father in the loft. Hjalmar is unable to provide for his family and when Mr. Werle decides to help out he becomes furious and storms out. Claiming that Hedvig is truly not his and she ends by killing herself to show her love. This crushes Hjalmar and he no longer is the same.

Wild Duck Journal # 4

Notes from a brainstorm session on "outrageous links" between Wild Duck and Oedipus

Blindness-- the motif of blindness is evident in both plays, and both plays use blindness to reveal truth and to hide misfortunes. In Oedipus, Oedipus was blind to the knowledge of his past and therefore he was happy. When Oedipus speaks with the blind prophet it is revealed that blindness gives power and knowledge, "you mock my blindness? let me tell you this. you with your precious eyes, you're blind to the corruption of your life" (468). The seer is the only one who knows the entire story of Oedipus' fate, other than the shepherd who gave Oedipus away. Though he is blind he sees more clearly than the rest of the citizens, Oedipus is blinded by his rage and will not hear what the seer is saying, even though he clearly states the truth. Once he learns of the truth he can no longer bear to see and so he blinds himself. Sophocles uses blindness as knowledge to illustrate that in order to learn the truth one must step outside of the situation and examine it critically. The prophet had no personal ties to Oedipus and so he was not hindered by his desire to save him from harm. And after Oedipus learned the truth of his life he no longer cared about his well being and was able to look away from it. In Wild Duck blindness is a great stumbling block for the Edkal family because the daughter Hedvig is going blind. The father tries all he can to save her from the terrible fate of blindness, however in so doing he is blind to the facts of his wife's past mistakes. With this blindness they are happy. Contrasting to Sophocles Ibsen is showing that blindness brings happiness. Hjalmar did not know of his wife's affair and therefore never expected that Hedvig was not his own child, as he makes this discovery he begins to hate the child. This new sight sows seeds of contention and broken family life. The family was happy being blind to each others fault and sight only made them miserable and ended in the loss of their most precious member, their daughter.
Corrupt Marriages -- In Wild Duck Hjalmar and Gina's marriage is not what it appeared to be at first. When they got married they were in love and built their marriage out of that, however when Gregers interferes and decides to make theirs a true marriage it all goes away. Gina is now known to have had an affair with Mr. Werle right before marrying Hjamar. This greatly upsets him and he feels used and cheated because he got discarded produce. This creates and deeper plot that merely trying to bring back the Edkal family name. Problems of trust and honesty now arise. Ibsen uses this conflict within marriage to show how trust is a key part to any relationship and if it is not built upon it then it will fall and break under strain. In Oedipus, the marriage between Jocasta and Oedipus is disgusting to say the least. However neither of them realize the truth until the end, which causes death for one and blindness for the other. Sophocles has this tainted marriage between son and mother to illustrate how seeking for power ultimately causes a person to overlook details which bring about destruction.

Wild Duck Journal # 3

Dramatists often create a gap between what the audience knows and what the characters know. With reference to at least two plays, discuss how and to what effect dramatists have used this technique.

In Wild Duck the audience is left out of the conversations that reveal the characters motivations for certain actions. When Gregers and Edkal go out for a walk, the audience is left inside the house. When they return Hjalmar is very upset and it bent on changing his life in a very dramatic way. The audience is left questioning why this sudden conviction has occurred and what sparked it. We believe that Gregers put him up to it because soon after Gregers returns and asks if he has done it. This shows that Gregers desired Hjalmar to perform some task that is now complete. However the audience still does not know what went on during their conversation and is forced to piece together information using hints and actions taken by the characters. By leaving the audience out of the motives of the characters it portrays a sense of realism, for in real life if you were observing a family conversation all details would not be known. This is also done to create an effect of suspense and mystery, the audience is left asking themselves, Why is this happening? How did this happen? Whats the point? It brings the audience in and forces them to analyze the situation, and there by they must look into their own life to see if the events are occurring within their own family.
In Oedipus the opposite technique is used, the audience knows everything. The story is well known and so the audience does not need to worry about guessing at what will happen. However the characters know nothing. It is a struggle they have to go through to gain knowledge and learn the outcome of their destiny. Oedipus seeks for knowledge but is denied it until the very end, whereas the audience knows everything from the beginning. This is done to create a sense of suspense, for the outcome is already known, but how will it happen. And even though the actions and events are well known it still comes as a surprise when Oedipus gouges out his eyes. There is something within human beings that loves the expected surprise of plays. This sort of audience involvement/knowledge keeps people coming back. They yearn to understand the play and to feel apart of it. Also, the plays were performed at festivals as competitions and if the audience is worry about why a character did something and worrying over the plot, they will lose focus on how the play was performed. It is a great tactic to use because if the audience is well informed of the play then they are able to be more critical and appreciative of the acting and the setting, thus insuring a win for Sophocles.

Wild Duck Journal # 2

Tracking the idea that ones sense of duty ultimately leads to something terrible or disasterous occuring.

In both plays this is shown by through the actions if multiple characters, whether minor or major. The authors of the plays chose to use this irony to show that when one decides to interfere with 'fate' or the gods decree that it will only end in misfortune. This misfortune can be given to the individual, to someone close to them, or the one they are trying to assist. This depiction of taking fate into your own hands exemplifies the theme that everyone has a set course in life and if a person is meant to do something it will occur no matter the actions of others. Though both plays take advantage of this idea, Oedipus and Wild Duck have differing results and approaches to the aid given.
Wild Duck illustrates how one man's choice to aid a friend from misfortune inflicted by his father, merely leads to more problems within that family. Gregers attempts to ease the suffering of his friends the Edkals, by giving advice and trying to reveal their pain. This ends badly in two respects, first this attempt breaks the bond between him and his own father. He no longer will live under his father's roof and he barely speaks to him. He holds a grudge against his father for betraying the Edkals during a business expedition, and will no longer trust the man. This hurts Gregers because deep down he is broken and finds it difficult to love and to open himself to others. This hinders his ability to adequately advise the Edkal family in their own misfortunes. Because he cannot properly help this causes great grief within the family. Before Gregers interfered they fought every once and a while but the bickering soon stopped and a loving environment was destroyed. With his meddling he creates confusion among to family members, and now they do not know how to act or what to think. Emotions become tense and it ends with more difficulties for the family to face. Ibsen uses this concept of trying to amend past wounds to demonstrate that what has happened is done. The past cannot be changed, and by trying to change the past one is trying to change fate. Fate cannot be altered or forced to cooperate, a person will experience certain things and when fate is tampered with it merely retaliates in greater force.
In Oedipus it is not fate alone that is the controlling force, it is the gods playing with people's lives. There are many examples of people trying to change fate and control the gods. First we see that the shepherd tries to stop Oedipus' fated death, by giving him to the king of Corinth. However this seemingly kind act turns out to be the worst fate for Oedipus to suffer, the curse given at his birth came true. All because the shepherd did not perform the task given him. Though it was the shepherd fate to not kill the baby, really it leads back to Jocasta and Laius trying to have Oedipus murdered in order to stop the curse. This brings the curse full circle and all the terrors proclaimed becomes reality. In another attempt to sway fate Oedipus runs away from his 'father' to insure he will not kill him. But during his travels he is attacked and murders a pack of men traveling. One of these men is King Laius, Oedipus' father, the first part of the curse is fulfilled. Later he travels to Thebes and becomes king, taking the wife of the former king. Bringing to pass the second part of the curse, the marriage to his mother. Now if the gods were not challenge then it is quiet possible that the curse would never have been fulfilled. Sophocles is stating, however, that when a person tries to take on too much power and challenges greater forces that it will always end in some terrible event.

Wild Duck Journal # 1

"Defiance becomes our duty in the face of injustice" Referring to at least two plays, explore the ways in which writers have attmepted to persuade us to accept or challenge this view

In both plays the idea of disobedience/defiance is relevant in the respect that when characters do contrary to what is commanded or expected of them, terrible things occur as a result. These characters do not disobey out of pure defiance and do not necessarily wish to break down the one they have dishonored. Rather they feel it is in the best interest of all involved to go against what is expected of them. However well meaning the intentions are, it always ends with something terrible occurring.

In Oedipus the shepherd begins the curse by saving the baby from death and allowing him to grow up in Corinth, the neighboring kingdom. The shepherd was given strict command to take the child and see to it's murder, however he took pity on the baby and allowed him to live. Now the shepherd was not trying to send the curse upon Laius, it is uncertain if he even knew about the child's fate. He merely felt it a crime for the baby to be killed, when it was defenseless and so innocent. This act of kindness, which was defiance towards the kings command, brought about Oedipus' curse of killing his own father and marrying his mother. If the baby had been killed as was planned then all the pain and suffering felt by Oedipus' family and the citizens of Thebes would not have occurred. But because the shepherd felt it was his duty to save the child, he actually created the curse upon the land and upon Oedipus.
In Wild Duck, Gregers has terrible relations with his father because he believed that his father had dealt unjustly to his business partners. Gregers was friends with the Edkal family and it hurt him to see their misfortune because of his own father's selfishness. So he decides to break away from his father, and it results in him holding a grudge against the man. However when he discovers that his father has been helping the Edkal family he realizes that his judgements were rash and harsh. However he still cannot forgive his father and refuses to stay under his roof. This shows Gregers deep emotions of defiance against his father's rule and he wishes to be an individual and help his friends by his own hand. He believes that because his father has been unjust he must make amends and help the Edkals solve their problems. However, though his intentions were good, he creates a larger and more tragic situation for the Edkals to deal with. Gregers begins by disobeying his father's advice of leaving the Edkals to themselves, and ends by making matters worse for the very people he desires to help.
In both plays when the character tries to help and individual or a family, by defying command, it ends up being worse for the ones they wanted to help. This continual theme of defiance ending in misfortune warns the audience against trying to take matters into their own hands. Even when an injustice is felt, it is far worse to try and repay the injustice with favor then to try and help the individual overcome the injustice. Through defiance ill fates arise and so it is best to allow others to solve their own problems and merely give aid as a support, not the sole care giver.

Thought Provoking Q #2

How does Sophocles use the irony of Oedipus' brilliance to further the tragic plot?

Thought Provoking Q #1

What motivated the shepherd to disobey Laius' orders and keep the child Oedipus alive?

Oedipus Journal #4

Creative Response, Antigone's Diary after her father's banishment

Dear Diary,

It has been 9 years since the tragedy of my father's fate and my mother's death. Uncle Creon has taken good care of my sister and I, though we do greatly miss our father. Our old father, not the man of agony and sorrow that we last embraced. He was very good to us before he made that dreadful discover, cursed by the gods. Oedipus the great, though many remember him for his valor and his trickery at defeating the sphynix, I remember him for his loving words and his gently touch on my forehead when I was ill, the way he would softly tell stories beside my bed. He truly did love his children. But to have seen him on that day, his last day in Thebes. Such a terrible sight as one I would never forget. His eyes punctured and gushing blood, defiled by his own hand. I was frightened. I wish to the gods he never tortured himself in such a way. That day I wanted to run, to flee the gruesome sight before me. I could not understand why a man would do that to himself, I could not see the truth behind his actions. I feared him. But when I heard him begging for us to come, to hold him. I couldn't deny my father in his agony. I ran to embrace him, I forgot the eyeless face staring down at me, I let the memories and the feelings from before fill me. I wanted my last memory of him to be good, though it was impossible. Those red sockets of eye flesh still haunt me to this day. Oh I wish my father were still here, to comfort me. To show me the love he once did. If only he never discovered the truth, if only he was still blinded by false truths, and not blinded by his own hand....

Antigone

Oedipus Journal #3

In Sophocles' play Oedipus the King, the story is told from the perspective of the audience, giving them the sense that they are actually in the story observing. There is no inner thoughts revealed and so the only information gained is by the spoken word or movements. This forces the reader to analyze the character's personality and words in order to gain a deeper understanding of what Sophocles is portraying through the use of that particular character. Most characters in this play undergo very dynamic changes. Oedipus is transformed from a beloved king into a shameful outcast. Jocasta, once held the highest place of honor as queen, now is disgraced by the truth. The chorus goes from praising and supporting their king under any circumstance to berating him.
Oedipus was introduced as the savior of the land, a great and mighty king with more intellect than any other citizen. Even when he was blaming himself for the murder of Laius, with no hard evidence at that point, the people still supported him and shot down his said 'accusers'. "I know of nothing, not in the past and not now, to bring against our king, no cause to attack his fame [...] Never will I convict my king, never in my heart." (187) The people still love him and deny the seer, whom before they trusted to the very breath, they believe in the honor of their king more than in the messengers from the gods. This shows how good of a king Oedipus was, he gained the trust of the people even though they thought him a foreigner to the land, they gave him the throne and all the power and influence that comes with that right. However as Oedipus desires to find the truth, his inner personality is revealed. Inside he is a very tyrannical ruler, using force and fear to gain his subjects submissiveness. "Oh I'll let loose, I have such fury in me" (178), normally a ruler held to such high standards as Oedipus would hold back his anger and control his emotions, but rather he threatens to let it all out to scare the seer into revealing what he wants to hear. This shows a great contrast from the loving king, who saved the people from a terrible fate. Along with merely changing from his inner feelings to his outward portrayal his life is flipped around as the story progresses. "Is there a man more agonized? More wed to pain and frenzy? Not a man on earth, the joy of your life ground to nothing" (234), now Oedipus is regarded as the man with the deepest sorrows, no joys and nothing to praise him with. He is no longer the brave ruler, he is now a dishonored, disgusting man who no one desires to serve.
Jocasta at the start was very loving towards her husband, she did not know that he was indeed her son. She wanted the best for him and tried to protect him, however as she discovers the truth she too changes. She starts by telling him to ignore the prophecies for they reveal nothing and merely make men become dishonorable. Though she becomes more pious as the story progresses, she visits the alter and prays to Apollo, the same god that she denounced, in order to free Oedipus from the terrors of his mind. She wants to hide the truth from Oedipus to save him from the terrible curse that was placed upon him, she realizes that he truly is her son but she does not want him to know that. She tries desperately to diverged his thoughts but when the attempt fails she runs wildly out. Screaming in terror for what he will discover.
The people, as previously mentioned, adored the king. They would never accuse him of such gross crimes nor would they condem him based on the words of a few. However when evidence begins to pile up they suddenly turn on him. Disgrace his name and no longer hold him on high. Now he is regarded as a dishonored man, filled with agony and misfortune. They would not support him further and try not to ease his frenzied mind. This is a great turning point for the people, in Greek times their leaders were given the greatest respect and honor. Closer to the gods than any other man, to have their leader fall from their view is a great curse to be laid on any ruler. This is done to emphasize the tragedy of Oedipus' fall from power and fame, when the people betray there is no hope of recovery.

Oedipus Journal #2

How does your knowledge and background on Greek theater and history help you with understanding the reading of Oedipus?

Understanding that theater began with a chorus, of 50 men or boys, singing or chanting the plays and then eventually progressed to having three separate characters, greatly helped my comprehension when the chorus spoke. Normally I would think of the chorus as being separate from the individual characters, merely addressing the audience, giving them information the characters did not posses, thus creating dramatic irony. However in Oedipus the chorus actually converses with the characters at any time, even if it is not mentioned in the scene. Without knowing that the chorus is always in the background of the scene it wouldn't make sense as to why they suddenly appeared. The stage setup is another major key in understanding why the scenes are presented as they are. Everything is acted out on an open stage, so the chorus is in attendance during every scene and may interrupt at any point. They are addressed as the citizens of King Oedipus, and he speaks to them as such. However they also have great influence because they see the full events of the play and so, in some ways, they are the main characters.
Knowing that a tragedy does not entail many deaths or sufferings, but rather a person in power falling from power, gives a sense that something will happen to Oedipus. It has already been foreshadowed to that he will become blind and banished from his home. So we are not expecting that he will be murdered or executed. However to bring the full scale of a tragedy into light he had to be a great ruler, the ideal man. We see from the people's praise and adoration of him that he is a well loved leader, which means he must be the ideal man. From previous courageous acts Oedipus has won the throne and so the people respect and honor him greatly "my king, I've said it once, I'll say it time and again - I'd be insane, you know it, senseless, ever to turn my back on you" (199). The people will always take the side of the king who saved them, and so this uplifts Oedipus into a greater standing among men which will make his fall that much greater and more of a tradegy. Even if his is a horrid person, he loses his temper and is quick to accuse, as long as the people believe him to be their greatest hope than that is what the king is.
How the Greeks lived and how they perceived their lives is very helpful in understanding why the characters do certain things. The Greeks highest duty was the duty to remain honorable and to keep that honor at all costs. Because of this sense of honor they would gladly exile themselves or kill themselves to keep their names unblemished. After the king accused Creon of plotting to murder he immediately addresses the king to try and clear up his name. "no there's nothing worse: branded a traitor in the city", death does not phase him, nor punishment, however the thought of his honor being slandered is the greatest fear he possesses. "Let me die and be damned if I've done any wrong you've charged me with", he admits that if his honor it truly broken than he will submit to the punishments but this leaves room to suspect that he is innocent with no such stain upon his conscience. Because honor and keeping a good name is so important to the Greek society it only would make sense that the king's reputation be ruined durng his tragic fall. By understanding the Greek culture and how theater was acted out it greatly increases the ability to correctly analyze the setting and the events. The characters true personalities are brought to life due to the archetype they are formed from, and it is easier to guess at the plot than if no foreknowledge was had.

Oedipus Journal # 1

In "Oedipus the King", Sopocles uses many different literary techniques to emphasize certain aspects of his writing and create a significance to specific parts of the play. The first thing that really stood out was the constant reference to how old something/someone was or how long something had been going on for. It seems that time is a very important aspect of Greek culture and life and is something that is used wisely. The first lines read "Oh my children, new blood of ancient Thebes", from the beginning time is represented as important. Things that are older old more significance than newer things, which is shown with Thebes being referred to as ancient. Also Oedipus gives more respect to the elderly man in the group stating that he should be the one to speak because he is much wiser. It is evident throughout this piece that age denotes wisdom and is greatly repescte, the advice of the old are treasured. But ancient things can also be a bad omen. The past murder of the king that was unresolved caused this great plague to fall upon Thebes. The author is placing emphasise on old wound remaining unresolved and the danger in letting wrongs simmer throughout the years. There seems to be an unwillingness for people to bring up unpleasant memories from the past, the seer has to almost be tricked into revealing what he knows, and when he does he speaks in riddles to hide the true meaning. Also people were happy to forget what happened until the plague struck and they were forced to re-examine the past.
Foreshadow is another technique used often by Sophocles. He gives away the ending of his plays through riddles and trickery wording so the unaware reader won't catch on. "You are the curse the corruption of the land" this very blatantly states that Oedipus was the murderer, the one who brought the curse upon the land, however by having the King quickly jump into a temper and berate the seer the emphasis is taken out of the accusation. "flinging at me the very same insults each man here will fling at you so soon", this line reveals that the King will become blind and will be scorned by the very people who love him now. Another lines also speak about what end the King will come to and what pains he will suffer. However the audience is still brought to believe in the virtue of the king and think the accusations false because of the people's faith in their king and the love that they show to them. This kind of direct foreshadowing sets the stage for the reader to suspect a tradgey and also expect the events mentioned to occur. Sophocles uses this technique to give the audience a sense of power because they know something the characters do not. It is very appealing to audience members who are lower class and upper class because it gives the lower class something to mock the characters with and it makes the upper class think and analze the play's meaning. These were the kinds of plays that won competitions and that audience appeal is what made them classics.
Sophocles also uses irony to a very large extent, this creates plot twists and sometimes comic relief at the expense of the characters. "I will speak out now as a stranger to the story, a stranger to the crime. If I'd been present there, there would be no mystery" the very crime he is denouncing is the one that he commited which brought him into power. The mystery lies in his loss of memory of the event, he is seeking to destroy the murderer when in reality the murderer is himself. Oedipus claims that he is the only man who can save the people from the plague and catch the murderer, he says it is his duty as king to protect the peoples interest, but he was the one who originally shattered their lives and has now brought this terrible destruction upon them.
Already I've noticed many references to animals, horses, bulls, birds, I believe that this is very common throughout Greek plays, but it also draws a significance to why that animal is being depicted. Certain animals represent certain things, birds for example symbolize wisedom and being able to speak to the gods, and so seers and priest connotate birds. While horses represent power and conquest, and so kings are seen as mighty stallions. I am interested to find if Oedipus will change throughout the play, from a racing stallion to something less powerful. This will be very significant because kings were always seen as righteous rulers that were closest to the gods as any mortals could be.