IOP Journal #5

So I have finally finished editing and practicing my IOP for the night. I know I will run through it at least twice more tomorrow while at school. I am incredibly nervous for this presentation. I know I have good content for my presentation, and excellent analysis, but I fear that I will be lacking some eye contact tomorrow. I will depend on my notes for my presentation because I do not want to skip an important piece to the analysis. I will practice the eye contact portion of my presentation more tomorrow morning. As for now I will sleep and hope that everything goes well tomorrow! I'm so excited to finally be done with this assignment.

IOP Journal #4

So I have finally finished writing my IOP. I now need to edit it and practice. Compared to the beginning of this project, I now feel somewhat comfortable with my topic. I am not however comfortable with presenting it... yet. The rest of the night as of 9PM right now, is dedicated to first editing my work, and practicing. It's probably going to be a long night, but it will be worth it. I cannot believe that by 11AM tomorrow, I will be done with this! Time has flown by very quickly in terms of the IOP. I will post again once I am all prepared for this.

IOP Journal #3

So the anxiety is really kicking in now. I present my IOP tomorrow. I have dedicated the rest of my night to finishing and perfecting my presentation. I have ultimately decided that it will just be a standard speech. There is no need to have the quotes shown with a Powerpoint if people are already listening to me, it is just unnecessary. I am now in the stage of collecting the final quotes for the presentation. I have found some excellent quotes that I am excited to analyze tomorrow in class. It amazes me how a six word sentence can contain so much information! This presentation still needs a lot of work to reach the level of perfection, but this night is dedicated to hopefully reaching that level. Off to find more quotes!

IOP Journal #2

This day has been dedicated to my IOP. As I re read deeper into Their Eyes Were Watching God, I get a more stable sense of my presentation. As I spend time working on the IOP, my anxiety decreases, which is a very good thing. This past hour I have been focusing on the organization of my presentation. Here is the general format:

- Introduction & Thesis (approximately 1 minute)

- Brief Summary (approximately 1 minute)

- Specific Relationships: Janie & Logan, Janie & Joe, Janie & Tea Cake (Each relationship about 2-3 minutes)

- Conclusion: summarize Janie's growth into equality from relationships & restate thesis (about 1 minute)

I have aimed for my presentation to be more geared toward the ten minute mark, simply to avoid boring the class. I see many students falling asleep as it is, do not want to cause more sleepiness. With my IOP planned out as this, it will probably be at the most twelve minutes, and at the least, ten. During this time I will effectively and precisely get to my points, with no fishing around.

IOP Journal #1

So today is the day where I begin to hit my IOP hard (metaphorically speaking, of course). These past few days have been full of me re reading Their Eyes Were Watching God and attacking the novel with many post-it notes. I have been strongly focusing on the main idea of my IOP: the relationships within the novel and how Janie grows to equality throughout them. I have a few ideas of how I want to present this to the class. A Powerpoint was one of them, but since almost everybody seems to be doing this, I might have to avoid this idea. Another idea that I have is simply giving a speech, then bringing in a few pictures which express the different aspects of Janie's relationships. I will continue to think of other ideas as I collect my points.

Blood Wedding Journal #3

"Not rounding off, but opening out." Comment upon the way the writers deal with the ending in relation to the whole.

This statement needs to be taken into consideration when looking at the plays studied, especially in Oedipus and Blood Wedding. Rounding off is giving the book or play a definite ending, with a resolved issue. However, in contrast, opening out is giving the play an open ending which also gives the reader and audience something to ponder. Authors choose to do either of these things while deciding how to end their piece of literature. The difference is whether to let the audience use their imagination to the meaning of the author's piece of work, or to portray an exact meaning in the work. Oedipus however, can be debated as to whether it has an open ending or not. Many say the resolution is that Oedipus blinds himself, and that is how the problem is solved. In opposition to the resolved ending, some say that the ending is open, because the question of Oedipus being exiled is still present. In Blood Wedding, it is certainly open ended. The "end" of the story is just that the bride runs off with Leonardo and therefore her marriage is canceled, and broken. The readers are free to interpret this play as they wish, and are left with many questions. There are many unresolved issues between the characters and what is going to happen next to the characters. However, the way a writer chooses to end his or her work, plays a role in how the work is interpreted by others.

Blood Wedding Journal #2

A dramatist often creates 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.

Dramatists, especially Sophocles and Lorca, use dramatic irony to create a gap between what the audience knows and what the characters know. The audience usually knows the entire story, with secrets and all, while the individual characters only know certain parts of the story. This happens in both Oedipus and Blood Wedding. With Oedipus being a fairly popular tragedy, many know the story already while seeing the play. This creates dramatic irony because the audience knows the outcome and the truth while Oedipus is still on the journey to find the truth. This is this gap created between the two groups of people. In Blood Wedding some characters know part of the truth, and others do not. Obvious the bride knows the truth, that her and Leonardo still want each other, and have seen each other in the past. On the other hand, the Bridegroom does not know this. During the play however, the audience knows everything with seeing all of the scenes. It creates dramatic irony and that gap again with the audience knowing something that the characters do not know.

Blood Wedding Journal #1

Within the first act of Blood Wedding, many information can be found. The author, Federico Garcia Lorca, tends to use many symbols in his writing. The symbol that is strongly found in the first act is the vineyard. This idea keeps repeating throughout the act. The vineyard and vineyards in general are referred to by the characters/actors. The vineyards are referred to when the characters are speaking of wealth, and prosperity.

Neighbor: He finally bought the vineyard!

Mother: He was fortunate

Neighbor: And now he'll get married.

This excerpt does not say much, but it does however show that the vineyard has some connection to prosperity, happiness, and wealth. When the neighbor says that he has finally purchased it, shows how he has been debating it. When one debates a purchase, it is usually an expensive purchase. Marriage ties into the whole prosperity thing.

Mother: He would have found it. The three years he was married to me, he planted ten cherry trees- (she thinks back) The three walnuts by the mill, one whole vineyard and a plant called Jupiter, with blood-red flowers, but it died (28).

This shows the Bridegroom's mother thinking about the past and her late husband. She is remembering the happy times, by thinking about the various plants and beauty she owned, which includes the vineyard. It symbolizes a more prosperous and happier time for her.

Mother: [...] You are richer than I am. Your vineyards are worth a fortune. Each young vine a silver coin! (30)

Her statement here clearly relates the vineyard to wealth. She states that they are worth a lot, and each vine is a silver coin. By giving the vineyard a value, than simply stating that it is an object, shows how it is valuable, and symbolizes wealthiness. This man is rich, and has vineyards because is he wealthy. Lorca puts these sentences in to emphasize the importance of the vineyards in the text.

Wild Duck Journal #4

What are the questions that underlie at least two of the works read? How have the authors sought to answer those questions?

The questions that underlie at least two of the works read are simply the truth. Both of the plays, Oedipus and Wild Duck, have situations and plots that the truth is hidden. Revealing the truth is the point and movement of the plot of both tragedies. In Oedipus the revealing truth of the prophecies is the main focus of the play. In Wild Duck, Greggers pushing the family to slowly reveal the truth is the main focus of the tragedy. As one can see, these two have similar focuses and main questions that underlie the works. To answer these questions both of the authors have illustrated a journey one of the main characters has to go through in order to reveal the hidden truth. Instead of directly stating the truth, making it a journey to slowly reveal it, is what makes these tragedies what they are, and beautiful pieces of literature.

Wild Duck Journal #3

Should plot be valued more highly than style in the work? To what extent? Refer to two or three works studied.

To a great extent plot should be valued more highly than the style of work. While reading both Oedipus and Wild Duck, one comes to this conclusion. The two are written in completely different styles, and the styles should have little effect on the plays as a whole. The styles should not get in the way while trying to interpret a play. The plot is definitely the thing to consider when judging a play, or a work in general. For example, Oedipus is written as most Greek tragedies are, but the plot and the message as a whole that is portrayed in this work is a very unique one, and should not be compared too closely with other Greek tragedies. Wild Duck is written in a very modern sense, with extravagant detail. One might deem this play as "boring" if they are simply just reading it and not gathering much from the text. The plot however, is a very interesting one, and if one is valuing the style more, that will take away from the value of the plot. Overall, plot definitely should be valued more highly than style in the work, because if not, the style could take away the importance of the plot.

Oedipus/Wild Duck

I chose to track the motif of sight. Sight appears in different ways so far in the both plays, Oedipus and Wild Duck. The motif of sight appears literally and metaphorically. It goes hand in hand with the motif of blindness. In Oedipus, the literal appearance of sight is when Oedipus blinds himself. He goes from being able to see the world, to purposely not being able to see it. The metaphorical sense of the motif of sight is that Oedipus seeks the truth of the prophecies throughout the play. He investigates and eventually uses others' knowledge to help him see the truth. He eventually does see the truth, but when he does, he wishes not to see anymore, and therefore blinds himself. Wild Duck, gives the readers/audience a man who seeks the truth as well. He wishes to see and expose the secrets that the members of the Ekdal family hides. He continues to look for the secrets, and winds up destroying the family once they are within sight. That goes along with the metaphorical sense of the motif of sight. The literal sense is discussed when Hedvig comes into play. Hedvig is losing her ability to see, otherwise known as becoming blind. The motif of sight/blindness appears many times, and possibly more times than the ones discussed. The motif of sight will be tracked in Blood Wedding as well.

Wild Duck Journal #2

The setting of Wild Duck changes occasionally from house to house. The main setting however is in Hjalmar's house. Hjalmar is one of the main characters of the play. With the play being set inside of his house, gives the reader and audience an idea of how Hjalmar and his family are. The setting is a personal setting, which shows the personal sides of the characters living in the house: Hjalmar, Gina, Hedvig, Ekdal, and now Greggers. The setting helps emphasize main points that the characters are trying to make, such as the family's status. Whenever making a meal, Gina will have to "strap down" and be delicate about servings and such, being that they do not have much as a family, especially when it comes to food and money. The fact that they have to rent out a room, which is being rented to Greggers, shows how the family lacks some money, and support. The detail given to set the stage definitely plays an important role in one's interpretation of the play. It helps make it easier to understand what is occurring, and where it is occurring. Plus, all of the details of the setting, draw large hints that this play is somewhat modern, compared to Oedipus, where the author simply states where the characters stand. Setting is an important thing to have when attempting to understand a play.

Wild Duck Journal #1

"Notes from a brainstorm session on 'outrageous links' between any two of the plays"

I know this topic is listed in the Literary Topics section, but I feel it belongs more in the Comparison section. There are definitely links between the two plays, Oedipus and Wild Duck. The one that caught my attention the most while reading Act II, was the motif of blindness. The motif of blindness is very apparent in Oedipus, being the Oedipus was blind metaphorically his entire life to the truth, and eventually blinded himself literally. Blindness was a frequently reoccurring idea throughout Oedipus, and in Act II of Wild Duck, it starts to make its appearance. Hjalmar's daughter, Hedvig, is gradually becoming literally blind. The doctor has warned Hjalmer and Gina, Hedvig's parents, of this inevitable illness, but they keep it to themselves. This leaves Hedvig metaphorically blind to the fact that she is going literally blind. With her blindness being the outcome of a gradual illness, tells the reader and the audience that the motif of blindness will appear again in the play.

Oedipus Questions

1.) How does blindness play an important role in Oedipus?

2.) In what ways does Sophocles express his feelings of fate/destiny?

Oedipus Journal #4

By the end of the play, there are many things to be reflected, especially the play, Oedipus, as a whole. The plot is very straight forward. There are no subplots, or other things to be considered while following the main plot. Everything in the play occurs either in the palace, or right outside the palace doors. The plot is definitely not circular. It starts with Oedipus being king, content, and trying to avoid the prophecies. It ends with his world turned upside down, the prophecies appearing, making himself blind, Jocasta hanging herself, his family torn apart, and him not being at the throne anymore. The ending is very important. It is what makes the play a tragedy. By the end almost everything has been revealed. The truth has been revealed to Oedipus and the rest, obviously. What happens to Jocasta has been revealed. The fact that Creon now has the throne has been revealed. Many things have been revealed except for what exactly happens to Oedipus. Of course he has blinded himself, but he wishes to be exiled, and Creon will not allow that and states that the only people who have the power to do so are the gods. This does not necessarily matter however. The part that did was the matter of the prophecies and whether they were going to become true, and they did. The period of time covered is a day, at least. It does not clearly state the period of time, but the way the conversations keep going without break, gives the reader a clue that it takes place within a day. Time is not necessarily important, but what occurred is. Overall, I really enjoyed reading Oedipus.

Oedipus Journal #3

I write in my diary of the difficult day that has passed. Emotions of all kind filled my heart this day. Relief was the first one to set in, when the messenger brought the great news that Polybus had passed away, without my doing. I was pleased to know that all of the prophecies I feared were no longer haunting me. I should have listened to Jocasta, and not have let them worry me for quite some time. This relief did not last long. Soon the messenger tells me that Polybus and I were not related in blood, and I was simply delivered to him. Apparently my ankles were pinned together, and a servant of Laius passed me on to this same messenger, down the woody flanks of Mount Cithaeron. After hearing this from the messenger, Jocasta tried to step foot in my way of finding the truth of how I came to be in the hands of a servant of Laius. She kept repeating that I would be displeased if I continued to search for the truth. However, I felt that it was necessary to continue. Eventually the servant of Laius is found almost instantly, and I speak with him. With the threat of torture, he spoke and delivered the awful truth. He received the child, I, from Laius, and revealed that I was his child. This was incredibly difficult to hear, and yet the news worsened. Jocasta, now revealed as my mother, Laius' wife at the time, and my wife currently, handed the child to this shepherd, and ordered him to kill the child. She was in fear of the prophecies, which are now sadly alive. This day has brought me great grief and shock. My life no longer pleases me. I am cursed.

- Oedipus

Oedipus Journal #2

Having some background knowledge on Greek Theatre really does help a lot when reading Greek plays, especially Oedipus. We discussed some things in class that I have noticed throughout the text while reading. One thing that Sophocles introduced during his time was the addition of a third character/actor. This is very apparent throughout the play. An example of this is found on page 196, where Oedipus, Creon, and Jocasta are feuding. Sophocles uses three actors at a time to keep the story interesting, and not a simple conversation between two people at all times. The third person definitely add a lot more drama to the plot. Before reading this play and not having an understanding of Greek Theatre, I would have been most likely confused about the role of the Chorus. However, being that background knowledge was provided, I now understand their role. The Chorus plays an important role in the text as well. They help guide the reader and audience through the text and the story, and at parts, such as on page 197, play as a character, and interact with other characters in the play. Overall, having background knowledge is very useful when reading through a work.

Oedipus Journal #1

Since Oedipus is a play, there is not a definite point of view. The reader and audience learn about different characters as they speak in the play. The reader does not learn of the thoughts a character may have, unless they speak of them in their lines. However, the play primarily focuses on Oedipus, being that he is the main character, so the reader and the audience learn the most about him and his thoughts. Oedipus is a highly respected king in this play. He likes to think of himself as equivalent to the gods. It shows this on page 171, "You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers". This shows how he thinks that he is suitable to grant prayers, and has the capability to do so. It also shows how he tries to convince the people of Thebes that he is of god status. On pages 176 - 185, Sophocles gives the audience a disagreement between two strong characters. During this disagreement, Oedipus first appears to the reader as a furious, and determined man. Tiresias appears as a calm, but persistent being. Depending on the side one takes on this situation between the two characters, can ultimately play a role in which characters are liked, and which are not.