Dear Journal ("Diary" sounds a little too sappy for me),
The girl that I used to have a thing for is getting married tomorrow. Except I still might have feelings for her even though she's engaged and I'm married to her cousin. I don't even understand why I'm still attracted to her- I don't even know her name! But I am. And you know what they say; you do crazy things when you're in love. I heard that one from Hercules.
But anyway, after tomorrow, she's going to belong to some other guy. I haven't met him, but people have told me his mom is crazy. Apparently, his dad and brother were killed... Wait a second. My family... Oh. Now I know why I almost wasn't invited to the wedding. Well, this sucks. Especially since he's marrying my girl. I officially need to find a way to crash their wedding. I could bring Joan Rivers... Nah, too loud. Maybe I could put a King Cobra in the groom's tux and he'd die before he got to the alter!
That's a little sadistic though... Even for me.
What if... What if I asked her to fun away with me? What would she say? But how could I go? Leaving behind my wife and child... Even though I truly feel no attraction toward my wife, how could I just turn away and desert her? And how am I to know if the bride still returns my affections? I must find out this above all other things if I am to take any sort of action to prevent the wedding. I will go to her tomorrow morning, before the ceremony. If she still loves me, then she will be as torn as I am, and might even decide to flee with me.
I must rest now- I need my beauty sleep. Maybe I'll wear red tomorrow... I've heard that women find men who wear red more attractive. Just a thought.
--Leonardo
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Comments
Kyla:
I like how you accentuated the blindness versus sight idea, and expanded it so it became more like a theme than simply a motif. The connections you made between Wild Duck and Oedipus were insightful and made perfect sense. Your thought process was clear, and your analysis was wonderful (as usual!).
Kellsie:
I completely agree with your point of view here. I can see where you would think that in Oedipus there are few crucial stage directions, but in Wild Duck even the smallest detail on the stage is significant. Also, you spelt subtle wrong- "suddle"- in the second paragraph. Sorry, grammar freak.
Kylee:
Although Werle is cast in a bad light, is he necessarily the bad guy in the story? After all, he discouraged Gregers from telling Hjalmar the truth because Werle knew what the consequences might be. And is Ibsen really supporting defiance? Greger's defiance led to the utter destruction of a previously contented household and the death of a child. I don't really see Ibsen giving the green light for defiance through the way he wrote Wild Duck.
I like how you accentuated the blindness versus sight idea, and expanded it so it became more like a theme than simply a motif. The connections you made between Wild Duck and Oedipus were insightful and made perfect sense. Your thought process was clear, and your analysis was wonderful (as usual!).
Kellsie:
I completely agree with your point of view here. I can see where you would think that in Oedipus there are few crucial stage directions, but in Wild Duck even the smallest detail on the stage is significant. Also, you spelt subtle wrong- "suddle"- in the second paragraph. Sorry, grammar freak.
Kylee:
Although Werle is cast in a bad light, is he necessarily the bad guy in the story? After all, he discouraged Gregers from telling Hjalmar the truth because Werle knew what the consequences might be. And is Ibsen really supporting defiance? Greger's defiance led to the utter destruction of a previously contented household and the death of a child. I don't really see Ibsen giving the green light for defiance through the way he wrote Wild Duck.
Journal #6: Wild Duck, Comparison
In Wild Duck and Oedipus The King, Ibsen and Sophocles both use certain literary elements to create a heightened emotional tension during the climax of their plays. Both seems to use vivid imagery, hyperbole, and repetition during moments of emotional intensity to transmit this feeling to the play's viewers. In his writing, Sophocles uses the imagery of Jocasta's death and of Oedipus' blinding himself to increase the emotional response of those watching the play. He repeats words like "blind" and "agony" to emphasize the uncertainty of Oedipus' future and the pain that his experiences have caused him. Sophocles also uses a third party- the Messenger- to convey the gory fates of Jocasta and Oedipus. This lets the audience's imagination run wild. They can envision what happens in their minds as opposed to seeing it acted out on a stage. This makes both the death of Jocasta and the blinding of Oedipus much more personal to each individual person watching the play. In Sophocles' case, there is a conscious decision to avoid excessive imagery at this point in the play for fear of making the content distasteful.
Ibsen too uses over exaggeration to get his point across, along with a strategical plot twist that, if the audience was paying attention, anyone could see coming. Unlike Sophocles, Ibsen has no problem with using imagery at the most violent part of his play. Hedvig's death is further accentuated by the other characters' lingering upon it. The loss of a daughter and pain of a father is too close to the audience's hearts not to make a lasting impact. Ibsen therefore uses the emotional nature of human beings to increase the relatability of his work. The repetition of Hjalmar and Gina's lamentations are intended to make the audience just as sorrowful as the characters in the play. They further imply that this child died in vain, as later expressed by the doctor and Gregers.
Ibsen too uses over exaggeration to get his point across, along with a strategical plot twist that, if the audience was paying attention, anyone could see coming. Unlike Sophocles, Ibsen has no problem with using imagery at the most violent part of his play. Hedvig's death is further accentuated by the other characters' lingering upon it. The loss of a daughter and pain of a father is too close to the audience's hearts not to make a lasting impact. Ibsen therefore uses the emotional nature of human beings to increase the relatability of his work. The repetition of Hjalmar and Gina's lamentations are intended to make the audience just as sorrowful as the characters in the play. They further imply that this child died in vain, as later expressed by the doctor and Gregers.
Journal #5: Wild Duck, Comparison
In both Blood Wedding and Wild Duck, there is a notable difference between characters' behavior while in public and characters' behavior in their private life. In both cases, the main characters appear to be satisfied and cheerful while in the presence of others, but when alone with family members they appear discontented and unfulfilled.
Ibsen writes his character Hjalmar in this way. When he is around only his daughter, wife, and father, Hjalmar often complains about the difficulty of his life. He outwardly expresses his discontent with his current life. He second guesses himself constantly, which suggests he is insecure, and does not assert his power as male-figure in the household. However, in front of guests and friends, Hjalmar is lively and in high spirits. He orders his family around, and emphasizes his happiness in conversation with others. There is a significant difference between Hjalmar's personality in public versus his personality in private.
Lorca writes the Bride's character in a similar manner. When the audience first meets her, they assume that she is pleased with her suitor, and is excited to be wed. Viewers then begin to see a different side to the Bride. She is bitter, unhappy, and tense when alone or with her servants. The audience infers then that she does not actually wish to marry her soon-to-be husband. The Bride throws the audience for another loop when she tells the Bridegroom that she wants him to hold her and never let her go. Following that, she returns to her pessimistic self, and proceeds to run away with her brother-in-law. The Bride hides her true emotions in public to avoid criticism and gain approval. It seems that she is undergoing an internal conflict between what she wants, and what she believes is best for herself and her future.
Ibsen writes his character Hjalmar in this way. When he is around only his daughter, wife, and father, Hjalmar often complains about the difficulty of his life. He outwardly expresses his discontent with his current life. He second guesses himself constantly, which suggests he is insecure, and does not assert his power as male-figure in the household. However, in front of guests and friends, Hjalmar is lively and in high spirits. He orders his family around, and emphasizes his happiness in conversation with others. There is a significant difference between Hjalmar's personality in public versus his personality in private.
Lorca writes the Bride's character in a similar manner. When the audience first meets her, they assume that she is pleased with her suitor, and is excited to be wed. Viewers then begin to see a different side to the Bride. She is bitter, unhappy, and tense when alone or with her servants. The audience infers then that she does not actually wish to marry her soon-to-be husband. The Bride throws the audience for another loop when she tells the Bridegroom that she wants him to hold her and never let her go. Following that, she returns to her pessimistic self, and proceeds to run away with her brother-in-law. The Bride hides her true emotions in public to avoid criticism and gain approval. It seems that she is undergoing an internal conflict between what she wants, and what she believes is best for herself and her future.
Journal #4: Wild Duck, Discussion
Oedipus the King and Wild Duck
- The truth is revealed at the end of the play.
- Self-sacrifice (Jocasta vs Hedvig)
- Motif of blindness (Tiresias & Odeipus vs Hedvig and Werle)
- Some messed up plot involving the mother figures (Jocasta vs Gina)
- Truth only causes bitterness and unhappiness, and is the cause of death in both cases.
- The bringer of the truth is someone outside the family that is the audience's main focus. (Tiresias vs Gregers)
- Both of these plays were translated into English. (Norwegian vs Greek)
- The protagonists of theses plays are oblivious to a horrifying truth that eventually breaks up families and causes death
- The two characters that do not know of the lies within their circle of family and friends one male and one female in both plays
Monday, May 23, 2011
Journal #3: Oedipus, Creative
Dear Diary,
My brother-in-law is a real jerk. He sent me to get this prophet so he could- and I quote- "find out who his parents are." What kind of guy doesn't know who his parents are? But since he's the king, I did as he told me. Once I got Tiresias, to come out of the cave he lives in (which took two hours, mind you), he said he was too frail to walk all the way to Thebes. So guess what I had to do. I carried the old man half the way there!
And after I busted my butt to do what Oedipus said, he starts accusing me of plotting against him! What the heck! I don't even know where he gets half of his crazy conspiracy theories from. My sister, of course, intervened on my behalf, but that didn't get rid of Oedious' lingering suspicion that I was out to get him. And then we all find out the Oedipus is actually my nephew, and my sister kills herself. And the moron stabs his eyes with her hairpins. Yeah. Today was great.
My brother-in-law is a real jerk. He sent me to get this prophet so he could- and I quote- "find out who his parents are." What kind of guy doesn't know who his parents are? But since he's the king, I did as he told me. Once I got Tiresias, to come out of the cave he lives in (which took two hours, mind you), he said he was too frail to walk all the way to Thebes. So guess what I had to do. I carried the old man half the way there!
And after I busted my butt to do what Oedipus said, he starts accusing me of plotting against him! What the heck! I don't even know where he gets half of his crazy conspiracy theories from. My sister, of course, intervened on my behalf, but that didn't get rid of Oedious' lingering suspicion that I was out to get him. And then we all find out the Oedipus is actually my nephew, and my sister kills herself. And the moron stabs his eyes with her hairpins. Yeah. Today was great.
Journal #2: Oedipus, Discussion
A major theme in this play seems to be that "ignorance is bliss". Oedipus was a lucky guy; he was abandoned by his real parents only to be adopted by a different king and queen and be raised a prince anyways. What are the chances of that! After he flees his home for fear of killing his adopted father, He murders his real father and marries his mother, with whom he has kids with. Way to fulfil the prophecy anyways, Oedipus.
My point is that he is completely happy until he becomes determined to discover where he actually came from. When he chose to uncover his past is when problems started to arise for him. Poor Oedipus finds out in that running away from his "parents" so that he wouldn't fulfill the prophecy, he actually ran into his real parents, thereby fulfilling the prophecy. First he finds out he killed his father. After that he realizes that he married his mother and had kids with her. And then he calls his kids a disgrace and says that nobody will ever want to marry them because he had them with his mother.
This is all very confusing, but my point is that, without knowing the truth, Oedipus would have gone on to live a happy life with his wife/mother and his incest kids.
My point is that he is completely happy until he becomes determined to discover where he actually came from. When he chose to uncover his past is when problems started to arise for him. Poor Oedipus finds out in that running away from his "parents" so that he wouldn't fulfill the prophecy, he actually ran into his real parents, thereby fulfilling the prophecy. First he finds out he killed his father. After that he realizes that he married his mother and had kids with her. And then he calls his kids a disgrace and says that nobody will ever want to marry them because he had them with his mother.
This is all very confusing, but my point is that, without knowing the truth, Oedipus would have gone on to live a happy life with his wife/mother and his incest kids.
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