To what extent would you agree that plot should be valued more highly than style in the work. In your answer you should refer to two or three works you have studied.
So far I have only studied The Wild Duck and Oedipus. Between those two, I believe that the structure is more important in Oedipus than in The Wild Duck. I believe this because of how complex Oedipus is structured. The play, written during romanticism is not in prose and is split up into stanzas. I am unsure about a set pentameter because I am still unsure of how to count it. But I do feel that the style is more important in Oedipus because it gives us background about the play and the time it was written.
I believe that the plot is more important than the style in The Wild Duck. I believe this because all the language is written in prose. This shows that less thought and time were put into the style of the play and more time was put into the plot. The plot is also more important here because the audience is not expected to know the story of The Wild Duck before it started. This means that Ibsen has to put more work into constructing the story.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The Wild Duck/Comparison- Journal 2
"Although doubt is not a pleasant condition, certainty is an absurd one." In the light of this statement, explore the impressions of doubt and/or certainty conveyed in at least two works you have studied.
In The Wild Duck, doubt is seen on page 177 when Gregers and Werle are discussing Gregers' future and his salary. Werele says that Gregers' money will not last long but Gregers replies, "I think it will last my time." Doubt is seen here because we are unable to know what Gregers really means about his comment. It makes it seem like he has a plan to take his life away or maybe he will run away? Or maybe he has a large sum of money set away? Either way the reader is left doubting their belief of what is going to happen next because they do not know much about the situation right now in the play. We do know of the conflict between Werle and Gina which may connect to this but I do not see how it would. The doubt here allows the reader to be more involved in the play and question more things about it.
In Oedipus, doubt is seen throughout the play when Creon doubts that Oedipus has more power than himself. This is seen on page 193 in his long speech. He says that he would rather not be king because of all the complications that come along with it. Doubt here, allows the reader to see that Oedipus is not as powerful as he thinks he is and as he carries himself. This also allows us to be reminded of the prophecy and how it will come true.
In The Wild Duck, doubt is seen on page 177 when Gregers and Werle are discussing Gregers' future and his salary. Werele says that Gregers' money will not last long but Gregers replies, "I think it will last my time." Doubt is seen here because we are unable to know what Gregers really means about his comment. It makes it seem like he has a plan to take his life away or maybe he will run away? Or maybe he has a large sum of money set away? Either way the reader is left doubting their belief of what is going to happen next because they do not know much about the situation right now in the play. We do know of the conflict between Werle and Gina which may connect to this but I do not see how it would. The doubt here allows the reader to be more involved in the play and question more things about it.
In Oedipus, doubt is seen throughout the play when Creon doubts that Oedipus has more power than himself. This is seen on page 193 in his long speech. He says that he would rather not be king because of all the complications that come along with it. Doubt here, allows the reader to see that Oedipus is not as powerful as he thinks he is and as he carries himself. This also allows us to be reminded of the prophecy and how it will come true.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
IOP 6
My computer crashed so I think that I should keep everything on the blog just in case. This is me continuing my outline. After this, I will do abs and then study chem. My IOP was moved to Friday, which gives me more time to study for my IB Chem test
IOP Outline
Introduction-
• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Published in 1985
• BACKGROUND INFO ABOUT ATWOOD
• Breif summary: The Handmaid’s tale took place in the city of Gilead. In Gilead, people were ranked and everything was controlled. Women could be either Handmaids, Wives, Aunts, or Marthas to be considered in the “higher” society. Men had much more power than women but they were still limited in what they could do. They could be Commanders, Eyes, or Angels. This novel opens with the main character, Offred, a handmaid, in the Red Center where she is brainwashed by the Aunts. The novel is written from Offred’s point of view. Her thoughts jumble the chronology of the book making the reader learns a little bit at a time about Gilead and the past society. As the plot continues, the reader discovers that most in the society are discontent about their position they hold and they break the rules
Thesis/Theme
• From the Commander to the Handmaid, the reader discovers that although people may perceive the government the same way, the power they hold in the society affects their actions towards it.
Scrabble Game
• The game of scrabble is fair because everyone has a chance to win. However, because some people are naturally smarter than others they are able to get ahead. This is how a right society runs. Where how hard you work or how smart you are correlates with the power you hold in the government. As you can see from the summary of The Handmaid's Tale, people were given advantages and rights randomly or just because of their sex or ability to reproduce. I went into this IOP believing that how much power a person had would correlate with their perception of society. However, after reviewing the text I discovered that the power they hold in the society only affects their actions towards it but not how they saw it.
• This game will be played by the characters I studied
o Offred – In the beginning, Offred lacked power in the society because of her position as a handmaid. She was confined to wearing the red dress and was –76, 79doc help "The fact is that I no longer want to leave, escape, cross the border to freedom. I want to be here, with Nick, where I can get at him. Telling this I am ashamed of myself." 348
o The Commander—“he sighs, relaxes his hands, but leaves them on my shoulders. He knows what I think, all right. You can’t make an omellete without breaking eggs, is what he says. We thought we could do better.” P273
o Moira-- "How do you stand it? Everything considered, I like this outfit better. So after that, they said I was too dangerous to be allowed the privilege of returning to the Red Center. They said I would be corrupting influence. I had my choice, they said, this or the Colonies, Well, shit, nobody but a nun would pick the Colonies.... So here I am. They even give you face cream. You should figure out some way of getting in here. " 324
o Ofglen- “It’s a beautiful May day,” Ofglen says. P58 "You could go into his room at night,she says. Look through his desk. There must be papers, notations. ..But the Commander is no longer of immediate interest to me. I have to make an effort to keep my indifference towards him from showing." 345
o Serena Joy
• f
IOP Outline
Introduction-
• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Published in 1985
• BACKGROUND INFO ABOUT ATWOOD
• Breif summary: The Handmaid’s tale took place in the city of Gilead. In Gilead, people were ranked and everything was controlled. Women could be either Handmaids, Wives, Aunts, or Marthas to be considered in the “higher” society. Men had much more power than women but they were still limited in what they could do. They could be Commanders, Eyes, or Angels. This novel opens with the main character, Offred, a handmaid, in the Red Center where she is brainwashed by the Aunts. The novel is written from Offred’s point of view. Her thoughts jumble the chronology of the book making the reader learns a little bit at a time about Gilead and the past society. As the plot continues, the reader discovers that most in the society are discontent about their position they hold and they break the rules
Thesis/Theme
• From the Commander to the Handmaid, the reader discovers that although people may perceive the government the same way, the power they hold in the society affects their actions towards it.
Scrabble Game
• The game of scrabble is fair because everyone has a chance to win. However, because some people are naturally smarter than others they are able to get ahead. This is how a right society runs. Where how hard you work or how smart you are correlates with the power you hold in the government. As you can see from the summary of The Handmaid's Tale, people were given advantages and rights randomly or just because of their sex or ability to reproduce. I went into this IOP believing that how much power a person had would correlate with their perception of society. However, after reviewing the text I discovered that the power they hold in the society only affects their actions towards it but not how they saw it.
• This game will be played by the characters I studied
o Offred – In the beginning, Offred lacked power in the society because of her position as a handmaid. She was confined to wearing the red dress and was –76, 79doc help "The fact is that I no longer want to leave, escape, cross the border to freedom. I want to be here, with Nick, where I can get at him. Telling this I am ashamed of myself." 348
o The Commander—“he sighs, relaxes his hands, but leaves them on my shoulders. He knows what I think, all right. You can’t make an omellete without breaking eggs, is what he says. We thought we could do better.” P273
o Moira-- "How do you stand it? Everything considered, I like this outfit better. So after that, they said I was too dangerous to be allowed the privilege of returning to the Red Center. They said I would be corrupting influence. I had my choice, they said, this or the Colonies, Well, shit, nobody but a nun would pick the Colonies.... So here I am. They even give you face cream. You should figure out some way of getting in here. " 324
o Ofglen- “It’s a beautiful May day,” Ofglen says. P58 "You could go into his room at night,she says. Look through his desk. There must be papers, notations. ..But the Commander is no longer of immediate interest to me. I have to make an effort to keep my indifference towards him from showing." 345
o Serena Joy
• f
The Wild Duck/ Comparison
"A writer usually attempts to create a bond of trust between writer and reader. How and to what extent have at least two writers you have studied been able to elicit your trust?"
In both Oedipus and The Wild Duck, Sophocles and Ibsen use dramatic irony to create a bond of trust between the writer and the reader. This creates trust because the audience is given the opportunity to know things that the characters are not.
In Oedipus, everyone in the audience knew his fate. As they watched the play, Sophocles put in hints in the text that would only be obvious to the audience that knows the end of the story. For example, near line 1075, Jocasta says "What should a man fear? It's all chance,/chance rules our lives. Not a man on earth/can see a da ahead..." as she tries to comfort Oedipus when he thinks of his mother. We are able to trust Sophocles here because instead of leaving the audience out of the loop, he leaves the characters out.
The Wild Duck also includes dramatic irony. The audience members hear of Werele's love interest with Gina on page 132. Later on page 153, Hjalmar, Gina's husband is happy that Werele is renting a room in his house. This is dramatic irony because Gina tries to get out of this situation where Hjalmar pushes it as he tries to make money. This leaves us trusting Ibsen because, like in Oedipus, he allows us to know what is going on first before his own characters.
In both Oedipus and The Wild Duck, Sophocles and Ibsen use dramatic irony to create a bond of trust between the writer and the reader. This creates trust because the audience is given the opportunity to know things that the characters are not.
In Oedipus, everyone in the audience knew his fate. As they watched the play, Sophocles put in hints in the text that would only be obvious to the audience that knows the end of the story. For example, near line 1075, Jocasta says "What should a man fear? It's all chance,/chance rules our lives. Not a man on earth/can see a da ahead..." as she tries to comfort Oedipus when he thinks of his mother. We are able to trust Sophocles here because instead of leaving the audience out of the loop, he leaves the characters out.
The Wild Duck also includes dramatic irony. The audience members hear of Werele's love interest with Gina on page 132. Later on page 153, Hjalmar, Gina's husband is happy that Werele is renting a room in his house. This is dramatic irony because Gina tries to get out of this situation where Hjalmar pushes it as he tries to make money. This leaves us trusting Ibsen because, like in Oedipus, he allows us to know what is going on first before his own characters.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Oedipus Question Two
Were the actions of Oedpius throughout his life justified? Explain. Predict other possible outcomes of his life if he had acted differently.
Oedipus Question 1
At what point does Sophocles exaggerate the dramatic irony? What effect does this give the reader?
IOP Outline
Introduction-
• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Published in 1985
• BACKGROUND INFO ABOUT ATWOOD
• Breif summary: The Handmaid’s tale took place in the city of Gilead. In Gilead, people were ranked and everything was controlled. Women could be either Handmaids, Wives, Aunts, or Marthas to be considered in the “higher” society. Men had much more power than women but they were still limited in what they could do. They could be Commanders, Eyes, or Angels. This novel opens with the main character, Offred, a handmaid, in the Red Center where she is brainwashed by the Aunts. The novel is written from Offred’s point of view. Her thoughts jumble the chronology of the book making the reader lear a little bit at a time about Gilead and the past society. As the plot continues, the reader discovers that most in the society are disconent about their position they hold and they break the rules
Thesis/Theme
• From the Commander to the Handmaid, the reader discoveres that although people may percieve the government the same way, the power they hold in the society affects their actions towards it.
• In The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood shows that the power one has in a society directly correlates to how they view the society and the government.
Scrabble Game
• A game of scrabble is fair. This is what a society is supposed to be like. However
TIME FOR A JOG!! be back later
One with greater power perceives a society differently than one with less. However, in The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood shows that many will settle in a corrupt society when given little, insignificant power. This power derives from breaking rules or simply having a choice or control of little aspects of life. Atwood uses characters to symbolize the people that will continue to fight and the people that are naive have no care. This novel shows Atwood’s feminist beliefs and the fact that people need to stand up for their rights and change instead of compromising for little things.
http://www.salisburypost.com/Entertainment/030710-Atwood-at-Davidson
Introduction-
• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Published in 1985
• BACKGROUND INFO ABOUT ATWOOD
• Breif summary: The Handmaid’s tale took place in the city of Gilead. In Gilead, people were ranked and everything was controlled. Women could be either Handmaids, Wives, Aunts, or Marthas to be considered in the “higher” society. Men had much more power than women but they were still limited in what they could do. They could be Commanders, Eyes, or Angels. This novel opens with the main character, Offred, a handmaid, in the Red Center where she is brainwashed by the Aunts. The novel is written from Offred’s point of view. Her thoughts jumble the chronology of the book making the reader lear a little bit at a time about Gilead and the past society. As the plot continues, the reader discovers that most in the society are disconent about their position they hold and they break the rules
Thesis/Theme
• From the Commander to the Handmaid, the reader discoveres that although people may percieve the government the same way, the power they hold in the society affects their actions towards it.
• In The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood shows that the power one has in a society directly correlates to how they view the society and the government.
Scrabble Game
• A game of scrabble is fair. This is what a society is supposed to be like. However
TIME FOR A JOG!! be back later
One with greater power perceives a society differently than one with less. However, in The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood shows that many will settle in a corrupt society when given little, insignificant power. This power derives from breaking rules or simply having a choice or control of little aspects of life. Atwood uses characters to symbolize the people that will continue to fight and the people that are naive have no care. This novel shows Atwood’s feminist beliefs and the fact that people need to stand up for their rights and change instead of compromising for little things.
http://www.salisburypost.com/Entertainment/030710-Atwood-at-Davidson
Sunday, May 9, 2010
IOP (Journal #4)
this will serve as a reminder for me to come back and do this
Scrabble Idea!
To get the class involved in my presentation and to emphasize the different power people have in Gilead, I wanted to make the game of scrabble represent the society.
Different characters will have different rules for the game because of their roles in society. Here are the examples
Marthas -- the Marthas in this novel saw the bad aspects of the government. However, they knew that because they were infertile they had no choice but to be a Martha. They were able to take care of the children and they liked doing this.
"It won't be long now, says Cora, doling out my monthly stack of sanitary napkins. Not long now, smiling at me shyly but also knowingly. Does she know? Do she and Rita know what I'm up to, creeping down their stairs at night? do i give myself away, daydreaming, smiling at nothing, touching my face lightly when I think they aren't watching? Ofglen is giving up on me, She whispers less, taks more about the weather. I do not feel regret about this. I feel relief." 349
Sooo.... the Marthas in the game will be allowed to play. However, when they gain points, all of them go towards the commander.
Aunts -- The Aunts are allowed to read and have authority over the Handmaids. When the handmaids get a point, so do the Aunts for teaching them. The aunts seem to stick with this society as they brainwash the others. They keep watch of the others in the game and keep them from "cheating" even though the rules are unfair.
"They also serve who only stand and wait, said Aunt Lydia. She made us memorize it. She also said, Not all of you will make it through. Some of you will fall on dry ground or thorns. Some of you are shallow-rooted. She had a mole on her chin that went up and down while she talked. She said, Think of yourselves as seeds, and right then her voice was wheedling, conspiratorial, like the voices of those women who used to teach ballet classes to children, and who would say, Arms up in the air now; let's pretend we're trees." 25
Handmaids-- Handmaid's can play but they can only when their words include their commander's first initial. Their points get split between the commander and the wife as the wife gets to have the handmaid's children.
handmaids not in mayday-- Ofwarren
"I say nothing at first, because I am tring to make out what she means. She could mean that this is a reminder of us of the unjustness and burtality of the regime. In that case I ought to say yes. Or she could mean the opposite, that we should remember to do what we are told and not get into trouble, because if we do we will be rightfully punished. If she means that, I should say praise be. Her voice was bland, toneless, no clues there." 364
"That isn't a term I remember. I'm surprised you do. You ought to make an effort..." She pauses. "To clear yor mind of such..." She pauses again. "Echoes." Now I feel cold, seeping over my skin like water. What she is doing is warning me.
365
handmaids in mayday
261 "I find it hard to believe in these whisperings, these revelations, though I always do at the time, Afterwards, though, I they seem imporobb.... I don't think this passage is significant anymore..
345 "You could go into his room at night,she says. Look through his desk. There must be papers, notations. ..But the Commander is no longer of immediate interest to me. I have to make an effort to keep my indifference towards him from showing."
"The fact is that I no longer want to leave, escape, cross the border to freedom. I want to be here, with Nick, where I can get at him. Telling this I am ashamed of myself." 348
after she got what she wanted, she didn't want to break apart from the government and break the rules!! just like how Moira was okay after she got what she wanted (kind of....)
"How do you stand it? Everything considered, I like this outfit better. So after that, they said I was too dangerous to be allowed the privilege of returning to the Red Center. They said I would be corruping influence. I had my choice, they said, this or the Colonies, Well, shit, nobody but a non would pick the Colonies.... So here I am. They even give you face cream. You should figure out some way of getting in here. " 324
Wives - marry the husbands. they have the most "power." The wives can play but it is all show. In reality, their words mean nothing and are just jumbled up letters. They get points regardless of their words.
"This idea hangs between us, almost visible, almost, palpable: heavy, formless, dark; conclusion of a sort, betrayal of a sort. She does want that baby." 266
Commander- The commander is the head dog. he controls the game, distributes the points. however, he can cheat and give himself points whenever he wants... he won't get caught and if he does there will most likely be no punishment for him. Even though he breaks the rules of the society, he goes along with it because he gets all the benefits of it!
"He is showing me off, to them, and they understand that they are decorous enough, they keep their hands to themselves, but they review my breasts, my legs, as if there's no reason why they souldn't. But also he is showing off to me. he is demonstrating, to me, his mastery of the world. He's breaking the rules, under their noses, thumbing his nose at them, getting away with it." 307
It sounds like I will first need to explain the perceptions of the society before I break out the game... I will also need to explain this using literary techniques
Chronology- The chronology of this novel has the reader finding out more and more about the society as time goes on. Therefore, the reader's perception of the society is biased because it clearly emphasizes the difference between the old society and the new. The chronology also allows us to see how Offred viewed the change of the society and the opinion of her friend Moira.
Point of View- Having the novel written in Offred's point of view also gives us the bias because we see everything and sympathize with her. This point of view also gives us an advantage because we are allowed to see her perception of the government what she thinks about it.
Conflict- there seems to be no conflict in the mind of the commander. However, the handmaids always have the conflict of giving kids etc... I wonder if there is internal conflict for the other women's positions? I know that Serena Joy has conflict as she wants the rules to be followed (and is upset when she finds out that the Commander had been seeing Offred outside of the ceremonies) but she also wants a child so she is willing to break the rules of the society.
Scrabble Idea!
To get the class involved in my presentation and to emphasize the different power people have in Gilead, I wanted to make the game of scrabble represent the society.
Different characters will have different rules for the game because of their roles in society. Here are the examples
Marthas -- the Marthas in this novel saw the bad aspects of the government. However, they knew that because they were infertile they had no choice but to be a Martha. They were able to take care of the children and they liked doing this.
"It won't be long now, says Cora, doling out my monthly stack of sanitary napkins. Not long now, smiling at me shyly but also knowingly. Does she know? Do she and Rita know what I'm up to, creeping down their stairs at night? do i give myself away, daydreaming, smiling at nothing, touching my face lightly when I think they aren't watching? Ofglen is giving up on me, She whispers less, taks more about the weather. I do not feel regret about this. I feel relief." 349
Sooo.... the Marthas in the game will be allowed to play. However, when they gain points, all of them go towards the commander.
Aunts -- The Aunts are allowed to read and have authority over the Handmaids. When the handmaids get a point, so do the Aunts for teaching them. The aunts seem to stick with this society as they brainwash the others. They keep watch of the others in the game and keep them from "cheating" even though the rules are unfair.
"They also serve who only stand and wait, said Aunt Lydia. She made us memorize it. She also said, Not all of you will make it through. Some of you will fall on dry ground or thorns. Some of you are shallow-rooted. She had a mole on her chin that went up and down while she talked. She said, Think of yourselves as seeds, and right then her voice was wheedling, conspiratorial, like the voices of those women who used to teach ballet classes to children, and who would say, Arms up in the air now; let's pretend we're trees." 25
Handmaids-- Handmaid's can play but they can only when their words include their commander's first initial. Their points get split between the commander and the wife as the wife gets to have the handmaid's children.
handmaids not in mayday-- Ofwarren
"I say nothing at first, because I am tring to make out what she means. She could mean that this is a reminder of us of the unjustness and burtality of the regime. In that case I ought to say yes. Or she could mean the opposite, that we should remember to do what we are told and not get into trouble, because if we do we will be rightfully punished. If she means that, I should say praise be. Her voice was bland, toneless, no clues there." 364
"That isn't a term I remember. I'm surprised you do. You ought to make an effort..." She pauses. "To clear yor mind of such..." She pauses again. "Echoes." Now I feel cold, seeping over my skin like water. What she is doing is warning me.
365
handmaids in mayday
261 "I find it hard to believe in these whisperings, these revelations, though I always do at the time, Afterwards, though, I they seem imporobb.... I don't think this passage is significant anymore..
345 "You could go into his room at night,she says. Look through his desk. There must be papers, notations. ..But the Commander is no longer of immediate interest to me. I have to make an effort to keep my indifference towards him from showing."
"The fact is that I no longer want to leave, escape, cross the border to freedom. I want to be here, with Nick, where I can get at him. Telling this I am ashamed of myself." 348
after she got what she wanted, she didn't want to break apart from the government and break the rules!! just like how Moira was okay after she got what she wanted (kind of....)
"How do you stand it? Everything considered, I like this outfit better. So after that, they said I was too dangerous to be allowed the privilege of returning to the Red Center. They said I would be corruping influence. I had my choice, they said, this or the Colonies, Well, shit, nobody but a non would pick the Colonies.... So here I am. They even give you face cream. You should figure out some way of getting in here. " 324
Wives - marry the husbands. they have the most "power." The wives can play but it is all show. In reality, their words mean nothing and are just jumbled up letters. They get points regardless of their words.
"This idea hangs between us, almost visible, almost, palpable: heavy, formless, dark; conclusion of a sort, betrayal of a sort. She does want that baby." 266
Commander- The commander is the head dog. he controls the game, distributes the points. however, he can cheat and give himself points whenever he wants... he won't get caught and if he does there will most likely be no punishment for him. Even though he breaks the rules of the society, he goes along with it because he gets all the benefits of it!
"He is showing me off, to them, and they understand that they are decorous enough, they keep their hands to themselves, but they review my breasts, my legs, as if there's no reason why they souldn't. But also he is showing off to me. he is demonstrating, to me, his mastery of the world. He's breaking the rules, under their noses, thumbing his nose at them, getting away with it." 307
It sounds like I will first need to explain the perceptions of the society before I break out the game... I will also need to explain this using literary techniques
Chronology- The chronology of this novel has the reader finding out more and more about the society as time goes on. Therefore, the reader's perception of the society is biased because it clearly emphasizes the difference between the old society and the new. The chronology also allows us to see how Offred viewed the change of the society and the opinion of her friend Moira.
Point of View- Having the novel written in Offred's point of view also gives us the bias because we see everything and sympathize with her. This point of view also gives us an advantage because we are allowed to see her perception of the government what she thinks about it.
Conflict- there seems to be no conflict in the mind of the commander. However, the handmaids always have the conflict of giving kids etc... I wonder if there is internal conflict for the other women's positions? I know that Serena Joy has conflict as she wants the rules to be followed (and is upset when she finds out that the Commander had been seeing Offred outside of the ceremonies) but she also wants a child so she is willing to break the rules of the society.
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