"Choose two themes and discuss how each theme is similar to or different to a theme in one of the other plays we have read."
1. Blood ties/Family
This is similar to Blood Wedding because in Blood Wedding the two families felt that they had to take sides when the Bride ran away. Everyone knew the inevitable death of one member of one of the families would happen which leads to my second theme.
2. Inevitable Death
Inevitable Death shows up in both Blood Wedding and Antigone. However, in Blood Wedding, the inevitable death is not known to the characters themselves, nor to anyone around them. No one actually knows that they will inevitably die in the end. In Antigone, the inevitable death is known to the main character, and she excepts it. She even is willing to create it herself.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Antigone Journal #3
"Anouilh bombards his audience with conflicting ideas, phrases, images..choose a
set of concepts: yes vs no, ugly vs pretty, truth vs lies, illusions vs reality,
dull vs color...discuss how and why Anouilh creates the tension between the
contrasting ideas."Creon's idea of order vs. chaos
Creon talks about how as a king he cannot put his own feelings first. He talks about the reason he cannot put his own feelings first is because he must set an example and must maintain order. However, he is willing to just send Antigone to bed and not speak another word of this instead of giving her the punishment because she is his neice. This creates chaos within his system because his family can get away with things the first time.
This contributes to the overall theme of blood ties/family being stronger than duties/society. The tension that is created through this idea of order vs. chaos lends itself to the feeling of discontent that Antigone is feeling about her own brother not getting the proper burial when the other brother did. It helps the audience to side with Antigone in her struggle, but at the same time makes them understanding toward Creon. This creates that harmony within a tragedy.
Creon talks about how as a king he cannot put his own feelings first. He talks about the reason he cannot put his own feelings first is because he must set an example and must maintain order. However, he is willing to just send Antigone to bed and not speak another word of this instead of giving her the punishment because she is his neice. This creates chaos within his system because his family can get away with things the first time.
This contributes to the overall theme of blood ties/family being stronger than duties/society. The tension that is created through this idea of order vs. chaos lends itself to the feeling of discontent that Antigone is feeling about her own brother not getting the proper burial when the other brother did. It helps the audience to side with Antigone in her struggle, but at the same time makes them understanding toward Creon. This creates that harmony within a tragedy.
Antigone Journal #2
"How has the role of the chorus changed? What type of tone does the author use
with the chorus and what words help to support your analysis? How does the
chorus comment on the tragic elements of the play?"The role of the Chorus has changed a lot since the beginnign of the play. The role of the Chorus is no longer to give us the back story or to narrate. It is now to make the audience feel and feel deeply. Chorus is used to express the inexpressible and to explain the difference between tragedy and melodrama. The tone of Chorus is thoughtful, expressionistic. Chorus uses words like vulgar, practical, restful, hope, doubt, and other reflectionistic words. These words express the fact that he may just be thinking out loud. Chorus comments on the tragic elements of the play in a different tone. It is an indifferent tone because according to Chorus, "he who kills is as innocent as he who gets killed" (24).
Antigone Journal #1
"In order for you to consider character's motivations, I would like you to
consider how Anouilh structures the play. To accomplish this, outline the
events in the 48 hours prior to Nurse catching Antigone sneaking in the house.
After doing so, address how Anouilh explains the previous days events? How does
Anouilh's structure affect the reader's interpretation of characters,
motivations, or events?"
Events in the last 48 hours:
Eteocles won't give up his throne to his brother Polynices like he is supposed to
Polynices wants his turn to rule
Polynices goes and gets 6 other foreign princes and tries to take over his city, Thebes
Brothers fight for kingdom with men fighting at each of the 7 gates to the city, Thebes
-Both brothers die at the hands of each other
-This leaves no other men next in line for the throne except for their uncle, Creon
--Creon orders that Eteocles be burried with all the sacred rights and rituals
--Creon orders that Polynices not be burried and anyone caught doing so will be punished by death
Antigone (their sister) burries (or attempts to bury) Polynices body
Antigone goes to Haemon's house dressed in her sisters clothing and perfume and makeup
-wants to be Haemon's wife sooner because she knows she won't make it to the wedding
NOW TO THE STORY!
Anouilh explains the previous day's events through the use of the Choir. Only a couple things are explained through Antigone. Choir is basically like a narrator. He provides descriptions of the characters and the back story to what is going on.
Anouilh's structure affects the reader in multiple ways. One way is that all of the lines of the character are glumped together into one large paragraph. This makes it seem like the characters are much more dense and have a lot more to say. It also makes it feel less poetic and "old". It makes the events in the story seem like they are chunked into specific times instead of just flowing naturally. It feels more rigid and staged instead of poetic, lyrical, and flowing.
Events in the last 48 hours:
Eteocles won't give up his throne to his brother Polynices like he is supposed to
Polynices wants his turn to rule
Polynices goes and gets 6 other foreign princes and tries to take over his city, Thebes
Brothers fight for kingdom with men fighting at each of the 7 gates to the city, Thebes
-Both brothers die at the hands of each other
-This leaves no other men next in line for the throne except for their uncle, Creon
--Creon orders that Eteocles be burried with all the sacred rights and rituals
--Creon orders that Polynices not be burried and anyone caught doing so will be punished by death
Antigone (their sister) burries (or attempts to bury) Polynices body
Antigone goes to Haemon's house dressed in her sisters clothing and perfume and makeup
-wants to be Haemon's wife sooner because she knows she won't make it to the wedding
NOW TO THE STORY!
Anouilh explains the previous day's events through the use of the Choir. Only a couple things are explained through Antigone. Choir is basically like a narrator. He provides descriptions of the characters and the back story to what is going on.
Anouilh's structure affects the reader in multiple ways. One way is that all of the lines of the character are glumped together into one large paragraph. This makes it seem like the characters are much more dense and have a lot more to say. It also makes it feel less poetic and "old". It makes the events in the story seem like they are chunked into specific times instead of just flowing naturally. It feels more rigid and staged instead of poetic, lyrical, and flowing.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Topic Sentence
Maid appears to be a symbol for the Romanticism movement, but she actually is against the ideals of Romanticism making her a symbol of Modernism. This is shown through her fantasizing about the wedding and her protection of the bride. Maid represents the shift from Romanticism to Modernism and how the two play into eachother.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Blood Wedding Journal #6
"Create a list of themes that Lorca creates in the play"
Themes:
Themes:
- Knives
- Death
- Destruction
- Despair
- Duty/honor
- Love
- Life
- Happiness
- Faithfulness
- Mother vs. Father vs. Child
- Youth vs. Adult
- Fantasy/Dream
- Reality
- Fate and not being able to get out of it or change it
- Blood
- Family
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Blood Wedding Journal #5
"How does the set change between acts and what effect does the set have on the
atmosphere?"
Between the acts, the set changes from dark to light, empty room to full room, and flowers to no flowers. This effects the atmosphere by changing it constantly. In one scene the room can foreshadow death and despair and feel secretive and closed in. In another scene it can be the exact opposite and feel as though everything is known and everyone is happy and cheerful. The flowers or no flowers can also help to foreshadow who is going to die and who is not.
Between the acts, the set changes from dark to light, empty room to full room, and flowers to no flowers. This effects the atmosphere by changing it constantly. In one scene the room can foreshadow death and despair and feel secretive and closed in. In another scene it can be the exact opposite and feel as though everything is known and everyone is happy and cheerful. The flowers or no flowers can also help to foreshadow who is going to die and who is not.
Blood Wedding Journal #4
"There are a variety of youth in the second act. Why? How does Lorca use the
youth to affect the themes of the play?"
The youth are used in the second act in order to portray the contrast between the imagination of the adult life children think they will have to the dark reality of the life they will actually have. The youth think that marriage and the adult world are full of fun times and cake and love and happiness. However, the bride tries to infer to them that they should want to stay young and not grow up so fast because marriage is a big commitment that you cannot get out of, and it is no where as fun as one would expect. Lorca uses the youth to affect the themes of the play by using them to contrast the harsh reality of what is going on around them. Also, they know more than they let on or believe or think they know. This relates to the audience because the audience knows more than it thinks it knows as well because they have been given so many hints and foreshadows, but they don't understand it, just like the children.
The youth are used in the second act in order to portray the contrast between the imagination of the adult life children think they will have to the dark reality of the life they will actually have. The youth think that marriage and the adult world are full of fun times and cake and love and happiness. However, the bride tries to infer to them that they should want to stay young and not grow up so fast because marriage is a big commitment that you cannot get out of, and it is no where as fun as one would expect. Lorca uses the youth to affect the themes of the play by using them to contrast the harsh reality of what is going on around them. Also, they know more than they let on or believe or think they know. This relates to the audience because the audience knows more than it thinks it knows as well because they have been given so many hints and foreshadows, but they don't understand it, just like the children.
Blood Wedding Journal #3
"Which characters appear to be miserable in the play and why? When and how do
the characters express their misery? What do the characters desire and what
stops them from going after what each desires?"
The bride appears to be miserable in the play because of how she acts. Some of the things she does to express her misery are to throw her flowers on the ground, yell at the maid, and be very solemn around everyone. The bride desires, trully, to be with Leonardo, not the bridegroom. She is stopped from going after what she wants by the fact that she is to marry the bridegroom and that Leonardo is already married.
The wife also appears to be miserable in the play because of how she acts. She gets very angry at her husband, Leonardo, for not riding in the carraige with them. She also cries when she is singing the lullaby about the horse to her child. She desires Leonardo to love her. She is stopped from this by the bride because that is whom Leonardo loves.
The bride appears to be miserable in the play because of how she acts. Some of the things she does to express her misery are to throw her flowers on the ground, yell at the maid, and be very solemn around everyone. The bride desires, trully, to be with Leonardo, not the bridegroom. She is stopped from going after what she wants by the fact that she is to marry the bridegroom and that Leonardo is already married.
The wife also appears to be miserable in the play because of how she acts. She gets very angry at her husband, Leonardo, for not riding in the carraige with them. She also cries when she is singing the lullaby about the horse to her child. She desires Leonardo to love her. She is stopped from this by the bride because that is whom Leonardo loves.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Blood Wedding Journal #2
"Journal #5 Examine how Lorca characterize the archetypes of the play. Does
Lorca embrace or reject the archetype? What is the effect of the
characterization?"
In order to do this person, I had to look up what an archetype is and it is "the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based" (www.dictionary.com).
UM... so does Lorca embrace this... well... If I am equating this correctly, it is the same thing as a stereotype. Lorca rejects the archetype. Lorca especially rejects the archetype of the bride and weddings. The bride is dressed in black and is completely solemn when around her bridegroonm. The archetype of a bride is excited and dressed in white. Also, Lorca rejects the archetype of weddings. Lorca rejects the archetype of the wedding being fully planned out and all decorated up when the bridegroom can just call on his bride and say let's get married on Sunday. The effect of the characterization is that it sets the tone for the mysterious, strange atmosphere that lingers throughout the play. It also could be relatable to the audience of the time in the area that he was from. However, this makes it foreign to us.
In order to do this person, I had to look up what an archetype is and it is "the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based" (www.dictionary.com).
UM... so does Lorca embrace this... well... If I am equating this correctly, it is the same thing as a stereotype. Lorca rejects the archetype. Lorca especially rejects the archetype of the bride and weddings. The bride is dressed in black and is completely solemn when around her bridegroonm. The archetype of a bride is excited and dressed in white. Also, Lorca rejects the archetype of weddings. Lorca rejects the archetype of the wedding being fully planned out and all decorated up when the bridegroom can just call on his bride and say let's get married on Sunday. The effect of the characterization is that it sets the tone for the mysterious, strange atmosphere that lingers throughout the play. It also could be relatable to the audience of the time in the area that he was from. However, this makes it foreign to us.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Wild Duck Journal #3
"Journal #3: Consider which characters are at fault for the events that are
unfolding and why? Is there a character without blame? Why or why not? Is there
a character who should carry more of the blame? Do any of the characters take
responsibility?"
There is no character without blame. This is because each of them has to be held accountable for their actions. The wife should be held more responsible because she did not tell her husband in the first place. However, it was none of Gregger's business to come there and spill out this secret. Hedvig should not have assumed her father hated her. Hjalmar should not have acted so irrationally. Relling and Molvik should have tried to stop Gregger's. Mrs. Sorby should not have tried to intervene with the money/decree when she did. She should not have come at all. Old Werle should not have blamed old Ekdal completely for the logging scheme. It was partly old Werle's fault too. Old Ekdal should not have told Hedvig how to shoot the Wild Duck because then she may not have killed herself.
There is no character without blame. This is because each of them has to be held accountable for their actions. The wife should be held more responsible because she did not tell her husband in the first place. However, it was none of Gregger's business to come there and spill out this secret. Hedvig should not have assumed her father hated her. Hjalmar should not have acted so irrationally. Relling and Molvik should have tried to stop Gregger's. Mrs. Sorby should not have tried to intervene with the money/decree when she did. She should not have come at all. Old Werle should not have blamed old Ekdal completely for the logging scheme. It was partly old Werle's fault too. Old Ekdal should not have told Hedvig how to shoot the Wild Duck because then she may not have killed herself.
Blood Wedding Journal #1 Symbols (2)
1. Knife:
The knife represents the bride. It is a symbol for the bride because the bride has a double personality. She seems like a nice, sweet, hard working girl. However, she truly is mean, evil, and cheating. This is like a knife because there are two sides to the blade just like there are two sides to the bride's personality. The knife could also connect to the title "Blood Wedding" because knives spill blood.
2. Olive Groves/Vineyards: The mother talks about having gone out to the vineyards with father, but that was where father died, so she doesn't want to go with her son. I think that the vineyards or olive groves could be a symbol for the intertwinement of the two families in death because vines intertwine.
The knife represents the bride. It is a symbol for the bride because the bride has a double personality. She seems like a nice, sweet, hard working girl. However, she truly is mean, evil, and cheating. This is like a knife because there are two sides to the blade just like there are two sides to the bride's personality. The knife could also connect to the title "Blood Wedding" because knives spill blood.
2. Olive Groves/Vineyards: The mother talks about having gone out to the vineyards with father, but that was where father died, so she doesn't want to go with her son. I think that the vineyards or olive groves could be a symbol for the intertwinement of the two families in death because vines intertwine.
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