Point of View
Oedipus the King, also known as Oedipus Rex, is not told from any character's perspective; it was written to be performed as a play so the only type of narration is that of dialogue. The reader only gains the perspective of what each character says, therefore attaining knowledge from all different angles of the book. The reader understands what other characters in the book might not. As a result, it can be concluded that Sophocles wrote Oedipus the King with a third person omniscient point of view. The narrative voice is reliable because the audience already knows how the story will play out; this opens the door for dramatic irony. From what we have read in the book, Sophocles only provides basic background information for each character. Oedipus is a very well-respected and powerful man. He is revered highly as a king among the general populace because he successfully solved the riddle of the Sphinx. Creon, Oedipus's uncle, is more logical and thought oriented than Oedipus. His logic makes his dialogue credible. Tiresias, a blind prophet, is portrayed as being a very wise old man, his blindness is ironic in that he is the most knowledgeable of all the characters, yet he is unable to see. Tiresias is probably the most credible of the characters due to the fact that the audience is familiar with his blessing and his curses. Sophocles persuades the reader into liking Oedipus through Oedipus's aggressive actions. His extreme determination of being good leader regardless of the possible sacrifices he might have to make allow the reader to gain a sense of trust toward Oedipus.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Handmaid's Tale - Journal #3
The dystopian serves primarily as a warning to society by creating a vision of our future if present day practices, trends, etc. go unchecked. With this in mind, write 250 words focusing on items C and D under "The Social Criticism" section of "Elements of the Dystopian Mode."
Margaret Atwood creates a society that, although seems very distant from the reader, is actually very realistic. In this world, Atwood places a lot of emphasis on religious allusions, signaling how the church attaining control of the government would be a bad thing. The church and the government, together addressed the change in morals that society was facing. Individuals were becoming too gung-ho about sex and were embracing the sins of going to "Pornomats" and wearing provocative clothing. In this world, the government takes away their citizens rights in exchange for safety. It is because of these reasons that I think the society presented in The Handmaid's Tale is realistic. She writes this post-Cold War, showing how a nuclear exchange with Russia would have led to the radiation fallout that would have caused the population to plummet. The anti-feminist movement, in conjunction with the fallout from the war, would have led to the ends presented in the book. However, the idea of having a dominant male figure, a Wife, Marthas and Handmaids all living in a household and playing their roles seems unrealistic. Atwood presents alternatives for the reader through pockets of resistance from the Handmaids. She has Moira successfully run away (to an extent) and the Handmaid's secret society. She shows that individuals must fight against the oppressive society in order to regain their power.
Margaret Atwood creates a society that, although seems very distant from the reader, is actually very realistic. In this world, Atwood places a lot of emphasis on religious allusions, signaling how the church attaining control of the government would be a bad thing. The church and the government, together addressed the change in morals that society was facing. Individuals were becoming too gung-ho about sex and were embracing the sins of going to "Pornomats" and wearing provocative clothing. In this world, the government takes away their citizens rights in exchange for safety. It is because of these reasons that I think the society presented in The Handmaid's Tale is realistic. She writes this post-Cold War, showing how a nuclear exchange with Russia would have led to the radiation fallout that would have caused the population to plummet. The anti-feminist movement, in conjunction with the fallout from the war, would have led to the ends presented in the book. However, the idea of having a dominant male figure, a Wife, Marthas and Handmaids all living in a household and playing their roles seems unrealistic. Atwood presents alternatives for the reader through pockets of resistance from the Handmaids. She has Moira successfully run away (to an extent) and the Handmaid's secret society. She shows that individuals must fight against the oppressive society in order to regain their power.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Handmaid's Tale - Journal #2
Topic B: Choose a character who is involved in a struggle against his or her society. Write a response (approx 250 words) exploring two or three relevant issues listed in item C under "The Main Characters" section.
Moira is Offred's best friend from the pre-societal change. Back then, Moira was active in the feminist movement. Offred reveals later in the novel that her and Moira wind up in the same training center, and she retells Moira's types of resistance. Moria's conflict with society is that she does not agree with the Aunts and the new society that her actions as a feminist have led to. Moira struggles against the oppression and absence of her rights as a women in the pre-societal shift. She demonstrates her displeasure of society to Offred when she describes one of the Aunts as an "old bitch" (Atwood 89). In order to resist, Moira attempts to escape by bribing the Angels in the ambulance while they took care of her for her "fake" sickness. This attempt failed. Moira's feet, useless in society's eyes, were beaten until swollen like lungs, but she did not give up. On the second attempt, she tricks Aunt Elizabeth, the one who guards the bathroom, and steals her clothes while using the iron rod from the toilet as a weapon. Moira brings Aunt Elizabeth down to the boiler room and ties her up so that she can run away. She succeeds in her escape and for all the reader knows, Moira escapes the oppressive society and attains freedom. However, Atwood never explains what truly happens to Moira. Happy day.
Sidenote - the escapes that Moira attempted showed her other characteristics. Both times, Moira never asked Offred about leaving with her. Therefore, the reader is able to interpret this as her being selfish, or her looking out for Offred. I personally lean towards selfish because the reward of escaping the oppressive society outweighs the risk of getting caught.
Moira is Offred's best friend from the pre-societal change. Back then, Moira was active in the feminist movement. Offred reveals later in the novel that her and Moira wind up in the same training center, and she retells Moira's types of resistance. Moria's conflict with society is that she does not agree with the Aunts and the new society that her actions as a feminist have led to. Moira struggles against the oppression and absence of her rights as a women in the pre-societal shift. She demonstrates her displeasure of society to Offred when she describes one of the Aunts as an "old bitch" (Atwood 89). In order to resist, Moira attempts to escape by bribing the Angels in the ambulance while they took care of her for her "fake" sickness. This attempt failed. Moira's feet, useless in society's eyes, were beaten until swollen like lungs, but she did not give up. On the second attempt, she tricks Aunt Elizabeth, the one who guards the bathroom, and steals her clothes while using the iron rod from the toilet as a weapon. Moira brings Aunt Elizabeth down to the boiler room and ties her up so that she can run away. She succeeds in her escape and for all the reader knows, Moira escapes the oppressive society and attains freedom. However, Atwood never explains what truly happens to Moira. Happy day.
Sidenote - the escapes that Moira attempted showed her other characteristics. Both times, Moira never asked Offred about leaving with her. Therefore, the reader is able to interpret this as her being selfish, or her looking out for Offred. I personally lean towards selfish because the reward of escaping the oppressive society outweighs the risk of getting caught.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Handmaid's Tale - Journal #1
Topic A: Choose a short passage that reveals a significant aspect of the society depicted in the novel. Copy the passage and write a response (200 words) explaining what the passage reveals about society and how it relates to what has occurred in this section of the novel.
Quote: "I used to think of my body as an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of transportation, or an implement for the accomplishment of my will. I could use it to run, push buttons of one sort of another, make things happen. There were limits, but my body was nevertheless lithe, single, solid, one with me" (73).
This quote comes from Part V: Nap of The Handmaid's Tale. The passage reveals how society has changed this perception of women in Gilead. Women like Offred are shaped into believing that the only useful part of their body is their womb. They are forced into believing this as the truth and Offred, the protagonist, has no other options to compare this truth to. In the society, women are not individuals, but objects to give birth to children. This quote relates to Part V: Nap because this section focuses on the idea of ownership. The phrase "used to think" illustrates how women in the Gileadian society were stripped of ownership from their body unexpectedly after fighting for it. The "pleasure" Offred refers to stems from her old life with Luke, where society perceived sex as a pleasurable activity, not one who's goal was strictly childbirth. She reminisces about how she used to be able to "run, push buttons [...], make things happen," which shows how this societal shift happened recently and most likely, abruptly.
Quote: "I used to think of my body as an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of transportation, or an implement for the accomplishment of my will. I could use it to run, push buttons of one sort of another, make things happen. There were limits, but my body was nevertheless lithe, single, solid, one with me" (73).
This quote comes from Part V: Nap of The Handmaid's Tale. The passage reveals how society has changed this perception of women in Gilead. Women like Offred are shaped into believing that the only useful part of their body is their womb. They are forced into believing this as the truth and Offred, the protagonist, has no other options to compare this truth to. In the society, women are not individuals, but objects to give birth to children. This quote relates to Part V: Nap because this section focuses on the idea of ownership. The phrase "used to think" illustrates how women in the Gileadian society were stripped of ownership from their body unexpectedly after fighting for it. The "pleasure" Offred refers to stems from her old life with Luke, where society perceived sex as a pleasurable activity, not one who's goal was strictly childbirth. She reminisces about how she used to be able to "run, push buttons [...], make things happen," which shows how this societal shift happened recently and most likely, abruptly.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Thesis - Final
Albert Camus uses the setting of the beach in The Stranger to represent freedom from societal expectations. Meursault's unorthodox actions at the beach illustrate how individuals require a catalyst in order to transcend societal norms.
In Albert Camus' The Stranger, the soothing setting of the beach, a location where Meursault feels safe from society's judgment*, is used to symbolize freedom from societal expectations. Meursault's unorthodox actions at the beach illustrate how individuals require a catalyst in order to transcend societal norms.
* replaceable with - Meursault's escape from societal judgment
it's supposed to be an interrupting clause but it seems to make the thesis more confusing.
In Albert Camus' The Stranger, the setting of the beach symbolizes a safe haven for Meursault to be free from societal expectations. Meursault's unorthodox actions at the beach illustrate how individuals require a catalyst in order to transcend societal norms.
So I've tried working on the connection between the setting of the beach and its representation of freedom but I'm not exactly sure how to make the leap of faith a lot shorter. I like the last thesis, but I'm not sure if it closes the gap enough. Thoughts?
In Albert Camus' The Stranger, the soothing setting of the beach, a location where Meursault feels safe from society's judgment*, is used to symbolize freedom from societal expectations. Meursault's unorthodox actions at the beach illustrate how individuals require a catalyst in order to transcend societal norms.
* replaceable with - Meursault's escape from societal judgment
it's supposed to be an interrupting clause but it seems to make the thesis more confusing.
In Albert Camus' The Stranger, the setting of the beach symbolizes a safe haven for Meursault to be free from societal expectations. Meursault's unorthodox actions at the beach illustrate how individuals require a catalyst in order to transcend societal norms.
So I've tried working on the connection between the setting of the beach and its representation of freedom but I'm not exactly sure how to make the leap of faith a lot shorter. I like the last thesis, but I'm not sure if it closes the gap enough. Thoughts?
Journal #18
The first time I read The Stranger, I felt like Meursault was an interesting character to follow. I didn't care that he held different values/beliefs. He was a type of person that I had never been in contact with. After reading The Stranger for a second time, I still believe that the story has significant literary value. I don't exactly know why high school students read this novel over other philosophical novels, but I believe that Camus does a good job expressing existential concepts. Without The Stranger, I don't think existentialism could have been explained as well even through the original philosopher's writings. However, after reading it twice, I would like to say that I understand how Camus doesn't express the story from a true existentialist's viewpoint.What makes this novel unique is how Camus creates a protagonist that you just can't root for. Meursault kills the Arab without remorse, and acts cold-hearted/indifferent towards basically everyone yet the reader is still able to relate and ultimately agree with Meursault's outlook on life. Camus' The Stranger should be considered a great piece of literature because of how well it instigates thought from its reader.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Journal #17
I plan on focusing on the setting of the beach or the symbolic-ness (?) of the water and the effect it has on Meursault. My fallback will probably be Salamano, his dog and Meursault if this ends up being a bad idea.
Tentative Thesis: Albert Camus uses the setting of the beach in The Stranger to represent freedom from societal expectations. Meursault's unorthodox actions at the beach illustrate how individuals require a catalyst in order to transcend societal norms. (uh. I need help with Camus' message about the human experience)
1) "I even said, 'It's not my fault.' He didn't say anything. Then I thought I shouldn't have said that. After all, I didn't have anything to apologize for. He's the one who should have offered his condolences" (3).
2) "I wanted to hang up right away because I know the boss doesn't like people calling us from town" (40).
3) I had a hard time getting up, because I was tired from the day before. [...] I decided to go for a swim. I caught the streetcar to go to the public beach down at the harbor" (19).
4) "I had a hard time waking up on Sunday, and Marie had to call me and shake me. We didn't eat anythiing because we wanted to get to the beach early" (47).
Meursault put aside his physical desire for food to go to the beach.
5) "Masson, Raymond, and I talked about spending August together at the beach, sharing expenses" (52).
6) "When [Raymond] said he was going down to the beach, I asked him where he was going. [...] Masson and I said we'd go with him. But that made him angry and he swore at us. Masson said not to argue with him. I followed him anyway" (55).
7) "'Should I let him have it?' I thought that if I said no he'd get himself all worked up and shoot for sure. All I said was, 'He hasn't said anything yet. It'd be pretty lousy to shoot him like that. [...] But if he doesn't draw his knife, you can't shoot. [...] [T]ake him on man to man and give me your gun'" (56).
8) "I could see the small, dark mass of rock surrounded by a blinding halo of light and sea spray. I was thinking of the cool spring behind the rock. I wanted to hear the murmur of its water again, to escape the sun and the strain and the women's tears, and to find shade and rest again at least. But as I got closer, I saw that Raymond's man had come back" (57).
9) "It occurred to me that all I had to do was turn around and that would be the end of it. But the whole beach, throbbing in the sun, was pressing on my back" (58).
10) "I was about to say that that was precisely because they were criminals. But then I realized that I was one too. It was an idea I couldn't get used to" (69-70)
11) "I would suddenly have the urge to be on a beach and to walk down to the water. As I imagined the sound of the first waves under my feet, my body entering the water and the sense of relief it would give me, all of a sudden I would feel just how closed in I was by the walls of my cell" (76).
12) "'[T]hat's exactly why you're in prison. [...] They've taken away your freedom.' I'd never thought about that. I agreed. 'It's true,' I said. 'Otherwise, what would be the punishment?' (78).
13) "I moved closer to the window, and in the last light of day I gazed at my reflection one more time" (81).
14) "Since we're all going to die, it's obvious that when and how don't matter. Therefore (and the difficult thing was not to lose sight of all the reasoning that went into this 'therefore'), I had to accept the rejection of my appeal" (114).
15) "So close to death, Maman must have felt free then and ready to live it all again. Nobody, nobody had the right to cry over her. And I felt ready to live it all again too. [...] [F]or the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened to the gentle indifference of the world" (122).
If this is a bad idea, what if I went along the lines of "Meursault and Salamano are the same in regards to their acts of violence but they are judged differently by society because of their emotions."
Tentative Thesis: Albert Camus uses the setting of the beach in The Stranger to represent freedom from societal expectations. Meursault's unorthodox actions at the beach illustrate how individuals require a catalyst in order to transcend societal norms. (uh. I need help with Camus' message about the human experience)
1) "I even said, 'It's not my fault.' He didn't say anything. Then I thought I shouldn't have said that. After all, I didn't have anything to apologize for. He's the one who should have offered his condolences" (3).
2) "I wanted to hang up right away because I know the boss doesn't like people calling us from town" (40).
3) I had a hard time getting up, because I was tired from the day before. [...] I decided to go for a swim. I caught the streetcar to go to the public beach down at the harbor" (19).
4) "I had a hard time waking up on Sunday, and Marie had to call me and shake me. We didn't eat anythiing because we wanted to get to the beach early" (47).
Meursault put aside his physical desire for food to go to the beach.
5) "Masson, Raymond, and I talked about spending August together at the beach, sharing expenses" (52).
6) "When [Raymond] said he was going down to the beach, I asked him where he was going. [...] Masson and I said we'd go with him. But that made him angry and he swore at us. Masson said not to argue with him. I followed him anyway" (55).
7) "'Should I let him have it?' I thought that if I said no he'd get himself all worked up and shoot for sure. All I said was, 'He hasn't said anything yet. It'd be pretty lousy to shoot him like that. [...] But if he doesn't draw his knife, you can't shoot. [...] [T]ake him on man to man and give me your gun'" (56).
8) "I could see the small, dark mass of rock surrounded by a blinding halo of light and sea spray. I was thinking of the cool spring behind the rock. I wanted to hear the murmur of its water again, to escape the sun and the strain and the women's tears, and to find shade and rest again at least. But as I got closer, I saw that Raymond's man had come back" (57).
9) "It occurred to me that all I had to do was turn around and that would be the end of it. But the whole beach, throbbing in the sun, was pressing on my back" (58).
10) "I was about to say that that was precisely because they were criminals. But then I realized that I was one too. It was an idea I couldn't get used to" (69-70)
11) "I would suddenly have the urge to be on a beach and to walk down to the water. As I imagined the sound of the first waves under my feet, my body entering the water and the sense of relief it would give me, all of a sudden I would feel just how closed in I was by the walls of my cell" (76).
12) "'[T]hat's exactly why you're in prison. [...] They've taken away your freedom.' I'd never thought about that. I agreed. 'It's true,' I said. 'Otherwise, what would be the punishment?' (78).
13) "I moved closer to the window, and in the last light of day I gazed at my reflection one more time" (81).
14) "Since we're all going to die, it's obvious that when and how don't matter. Therefore (and the difficult thing was not to lose sight of all the reasoning that went into this 'therefore'), I had to accept the rejection of my appeal" (114).
15) "So close to death, Maman must have felt free then and ready to live it all again. Nobody, nobody had the right to cry over her. And I felt ready to live it all again too. [...] [F]or the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened to the gentle indifference of the world" (122).
If this is a bad idea, what if I went along the lines of "Meursault and Salamano are the same in regards to their acts of violence but they are judged differently by society because of their emotions."
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