Blood Wedding #3

"Not rounding off, but opening out."

The ending is important in Oedipus and Blood Wedding. In both texts, there is a power and relationship aspect. In Oedipus, he and Jocasta are happily married and ruling over Thebes. However, throughout the play the reader learns of Oedipus' twisted fate and his outcome. This play ends in death; Jocasta kills herself due to the anguish of what she has done, and Oedipus gouges out his eyes. Causing for there to be multiple tragic events within the end of the play. Sophocles allows for this play to be ended in a way that a sequel could be created. But, also, Sophocles does not just end the play in a happy way. There is tragedy!

In Blood Wedding, the Bride and Bridegroom are preparing for marriage. Also, there becomes an idea of what transpired between Leonardo and Bride previously. Because of what transpires during the wedding, leads to a tragic ending. Lorca writes the play in a way that allows for the audience to keep guessing. There could be a sequel with the lack of a capped ending. By having both Leonardo and Bridegroom dying in the end, it allows for a story to blossom around Bride.

In Wild Duck, the way Ibsen ends the play is slightly different from both plays by Sophocles and Lorca. Ibsen allows for there to be a sequel, but the primary storyline dies with Hedvig. (Then again do does that of Oedipus and Blood Wedding). However, Ibsen's play is harder to create a sequel for. By having Hedvig die, Ibsen creates more of a rounding off affect. The play isn't as opened out as the other two.

By not rounding off, it allows for relating to the real world and allows for a more branched discussion. By opening out, readers are more likely to relate to the text and grow fonder to it. The more connection that are able to be made, then the more analysis that can come out of it. Opening out allows for more connections to other texts to be made.

Blood Wedding #2

Should the plot be valued more highly than style in the work?

Yes, the plot should be valued more highly that the style. Especially in Oedipus! In Oedipus, the dramatic irony is important in the play, but the plot is even more important. If the plot weren't there, then the play would be completely different and the dramatic irony wouldn't even matter. Without the story line, the dramatic irony would have no affect and would thus be pointless.

Also, the plot should be more valued than the style in Blood Wedding. The poetic feeling of the play and the rich language isn't as important as the plot. Without the plot, there would be no use for literary devices, therefore the plot should be more valued.

In Wild Duck, the plot is important because it's what makes the play a tragedy. However, without the styles used, the play cannot be what we believe it is.

I'm contradicting myself now, but I guess they are both important. The pot is seen as more important, but isn't necessarily because you would not reach the plot without having the style. Without the style, the play would not be a tragedy either. Without the dramtic irony, the play wouldn't be a tragedy.

Blood Wedding #1

"Although doubt is not a pleasant condition, certainty is an absurd one."

Certainty is absurd because there is no way to be certain. However, doubt has a meaning to it and even though it is unpleasant, it has meaning behind it because there is questioning and understanding. Expressions of doubt exist in Oedipus, Wild Duck, and Blood Wedding.

There is doubt in Oedipus when the messenger comes to tell Oedipus that his father had died. Also, when Oedipus was told that he is not his father's son, he wants to believe it so that he can consider it to be true, but he still had doubts. However, there is certainty for Oedipus when the shepherd is called in to tell the whole story of Oedipus' childhood. The shepherd is the only one that knows the truth. With his story, the whole play becomes tragic. Having doubt caused Oedipus to search further to find certainty. But, by finding certainty, Oedipus is led to a tragic downfall.

Doubt is present in Wild Duck when Gregers tells Hjalmar that there was a sexual relationship between Werle and Gina. Hjalmar wants to believe Gregers because he is his best friend. But, Hjalmar still asks Gina to check for certainty. Gina gives him certainty and Hjalmar becomes disgusted with the daughter that he raised for fourteen years. By finding certainty, Hjalmar is crushed, but also he disowns Hedvig. This disowning of Hedvig leads her to kill herself. The search for certainty leads to the tragic downfall of Hedvig.

In Blood Wedding, doubt is present when Mother is hearing rumors about a previous relationship between Bride and Leonardo. Mother shared the rumors with her son Bridegroom. Certainty isn't really sought for in this situation but certainty is somewhat thrust upon them. In the end when Bride goes off with Leonardo on her wedding day the rumors become certain. This leads the Bridegroom to search for Bride, which leads to his tragic downfall. It is tragic because Bridegroom dies while searching for her.

Wild Duck #5

I am tracking rumors and how they affect the characters that they are told to and told about.

In Oedipus, I discovered that rumors and what people say is very important. The idea that Oedipus is not his father's son is very important and is one reason for his tragic fall. Oedipus hears a rumor that he is not his father's son and be becomes filled with anxiety; "Some man at a banquet who had drunk too much / shouted out - he was far gone, mind you - / that I am not my father's son. Fighting words!" (lines 858-860). This shows Oedipus' emotional attachment to this topic. Also, the affect of the drunk man's rumors causes Oedipus to fear its truthfulness, but it also helps set up the plot of the play. Another occurrence of when Oedipus is affected by rumors is when the messenger comes to Thebes to share information with Oedipus; "He's from Corinth, he's come to tell you / your father is no more - Polybus - he's dead!" (lines 1045-1046). The messenger's rumors affect Oedipus because it goes further to discuss his fate and the rumor also proves to be true. Oedipus is affected by these rumors because they are true and he fears the outcome of the action that makes them true.

In Wild Duck, I found that the rumors (and gossip) are important because they also created a tragic fall for Hedvig. However, especially in Wild Duck, it is seen that the elite, social, and "upper" class are the ones that primarily spread rumors. Werle tells Gregers that he will marry Mrs. Sorby and a glimpse into the society is seen by the reader; "I'm afraid she won't put up with it much longer/ And even if she did - even if, out of her feeling for me, she ignored the gossip and backbiting and so on" (Ibsen 134). This shows an insight into the gossip of the elite culture. Relationships are affected by rumors and the reactions people have towards them. Also, Werle causes a rumors to form a rift in the relationship between Hjalmar and Gina; "Is it true - can it possibly be that - that there was some kind of involvement between you and Mr. Werle while you were in service there?" (Ibsen 182). This shows that rumors can affect relationships, even those between married couples. This rumor causes Hjalmar to disown Hedvig leading to her tragic downfall.

IOP #5

Final blurbs and ideas for my IOP!!!

Kafka was not a trained philosopher, therefore not an acclaimed existentialist.

Jean-Paul Sartre considered him an existentialist and Albert Camus considered him an absurdist.

Kafka never wrote a long novel. This fact goes with his style.

Albert Camus was born on November 7, 1913 in Mondovi, Algeria and died January 4, 1960. He, like Kafka, also suffered from tuberculosis. He was communist and considered himself an absurdist even though many say that absurdism and existentialism go hand-in-hand. Camus was pacifist. He was married twice and had twin girls.

Camus is considered the originator of absurdism, which is related to existentialism. Absurdism contends that human beings are basically irrational and human suffering is the result of vain attempts by individuals to find reason or meaning in the absurd abyss of existence.

He claimed that the only true philosophical question was that of suicide: should we bother living at all or simply kill ourselves?

A common definition for existentialism is that there is no "higher" meaning to the universe or to man's existence, and no rational order to the events of the world.

Camus did not accept the existential label for The Stranger.

I really need to find evidence in the text. I think when his mother dies and when he dhoots the arab are good places to start. Any ideas?

Wild Duck #4

The heightened emotional moments in the text are important for keeping the reader hooked and continuing to read.

By foreshadowing, the authors, both Ibsen and Sophocles, heightened the intensity of the play.

In Wild Duck, when Hedvig grabs the pistol is good foreshadowing for her death; "She steals over and takes the pistol from the shelf, sets the loft door ajar, slips in and draws the door shut after her". This passage is Hedvig's stage cue, which occurs right in the midst of an argument between Hjalmar and Gina. This passage gets the reader thinking what will happen next. Is Hedvig going to shoot the wild duck? Is she going to shoot herself?

Then Hedvig actually kills herself; "RELLING. You can see for yourself that Hedvig is dead". The intensity breaks once Hedvig is found dead, but the use of foreshadowing makes the scene. Without the foreshadowing, the scene would not have the intensity that it has and the reader would not be as interested in reading it.

In Oedipus, when Jocasta runs off after warning Oedipus about searching for details from his past; "Flinging through the palace doors. A long, tense silence follows". The tension is really strong between all the characters. The reader cannot help but ask questions. What will happen to Oedipus? Will Oedipus find out crucial information about his past?

Then Oedipus gouges out his eyes and Jocasta kills herself; "And there we saw the woman hanging by the neck, / cradled high in a woven noose, spinning, / swinging back and forth". Jocasta kills herself due to the agony felt because of her actions. Oedipus gouges out his eyes in order to not see anymore negative actions; "he digs them down the sockets of his eyes, crying".

The use of foreshadowing makes the intensity of the play and the heightened emotional parts even more emotional.

IOP #4

More on The Trial and its existential ties.

The Trial

The reader meets a man witnessing an absurd from of "justice" - a legal system without logic.

Represents a common theme among his writing: all people are guilty of something and the punishments are in inverse proportion to the sin.

Joseph K. awakes one night to discover men walking about the boarding house in which he resides. These men promptly arrest Josef, without stating a reason. When Josef asks why he is being arrested, one man tells him he will be told in "due course". The reader senses immediately Josef will not learn what crime he has committed, especially if the reader is familiar with Kafka. maybe Josef has committed no crime, or maybe the crime was minor, but the reader knows the punishment is certainly severe.

Existential ties to The Trial:

The individual accepts and even embraces the absurdity of life. Existentialism and the absurdism of Camus are often considered together in philosophy and literature. Kafka explores the absurd relationships between individuals, society, technology, and words. Kafka meets the basic criteria of existentialism.

One aspect shared by most existentialist is their individualism.

Kafka has no philosophical or political motives and merely wants to reflect what he has seen of human nature.

The major difference between Camus and Kafka is that Camus attempts to provide an answer for the problem Kafka sees as inescapable.

-from http://www.tamen.com/csw/exist/kafka.shtml