Sunday, May 20, 2012

Antigone Journal 12

Antigone questions the actions and thoughts of Creon in terms of his kingship. This creates a conflict between saying yes and no. Antigone argues that Creon had a choice in being king, and that he had a choice on whether or not to burry Polynices. Creon on the other hand says that he didn't have a choice to be kind because no one else would take the position, comparing his situation to a ship with no captian. Anouilh creates this tension between yes and no to get the auduence to questions whether or not Creon had a choice in his actions. Anouilh wants the audence to come to a conclusion on whether or not Creon had done the right thing.

Antigone Journal 11

The chorus goes from being a neutral party to an active part in the play. For example the chorus goes from describing the characters from an outside view to describing what a tragedy is. By describing a tragedy the chorus hints at their own viewpoint of the play. Along with this they also try to relate the tragedy of "Antigone" to Anouilh's time period by using modern concepts and words such as police and sound track.

Antigone Journal 10

"Antigone" starts out with the chorus giving a short intorduction on the characters of the play and what they are going to do. They then give a brief backstory to the play, describing how the two brothers killed eachother in a civil war. Creon then makes it illegal for anyone to give Polynices any type of burial. Regardless Antigone breaks the law and gives Polynices a religious burrial. By describing what each character will do in the play before it started Anouilh removes the sense of surprise, this allows readers to focus more on what is being said rather than what is happening. Learning about the characters early on creates a bias toward the characters.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Blood Wedding topic sentence

Beggar Woman is a personified version of death because of her conversation with the moon and her demeanor toward the bridegroom.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Blood Wedding Journal 8

One of the bigger plot changes in the play "Blood Wedding" is when the scene switches from the wedding to the forest. In the wedding most people are happy and are having a great time, apart from the bride and Leonardo.  This then switches over to the dark and creepy setting of the forest when they are looking for Leonardo and the Bride. The forest screams death and the effect created by the begger woman, woodcutters and the mood support it. This sudden change between scenes creates a chaotic and frantic atmosphere for all the characters.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Blood Wedding Journal 7

Lorca uses the youth in the play to contrast with the older characters, like the mother and father.  The youth of the play get along with everyone at the wedding, while the mother has to deal with the family that had killed her husband and son. This shows that the young people hold a certain amount of innocence with them. Although they're innocent and aren't directly connected to the rivalry between the mother and the Felix's, the youth can still get dragged into the older characters problems. For instance in act 1 when the mother is talking to her neighbor the name Leonardo Felix comes up.  When the mother hears this she freaks out even though Leonardo was a young boy when her husband and son were killed.  Leonardo gets dragged into the family rivalry even though he took no part in the event that started it.

Blood Wedding Journal 6

One of the most miserable characters in the play is the mother.  She has been lonely and upset since the death of her husband and son. In the very beginning of the play the mother expresses her feelings about the whole situation toward her son, the bridegroom. She is having a hard time letting go of the past events and the effects can be seen through her actions, such as her reaction to the bridegroom wanting a knife. When the mother even hears the name Felix she goes into a agitate state as she remembers the past. One of the big thing the mother desires is to not be lonely anymore.  She wants to have another husband to care for, but her religious affiliation stops her. She believes that marriage is a one time thing and that women should only have 1 husband.