Blood Wedding Journal #1

Setting: The setting in Blood Wedding is geographically and historically important to all aspects of the play. From the very first page, the reader sees a link between the time period and the play that has a major impact on the play as a whole. The recognition of the vineyard is key from the start because Lorca uses the earthy aspect to stress the conflict and the climax later on in the play. On the first page, the Bridegroom goes out to his vineyard as well as eat out there. This is an important fragment of the play because it highlights the fact that the Groom can go out and eat off of the land by consuming grapes. This also seems very historically accurate because this is how people operated back in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Living off of the land was not a big deal back in those day and some people depended solely on their output of crops to survive. The setting in the play also hints at being a hindrance to the people because of the climate that is prevalent in Spain. The hill that the Bride lives on is also an important aspect of the play because although it is hard to farm on, it is the "cream of the crop" as far as a place to live. The land is dry and makes life hard on the people who live there by not allowing crops to be produced very easily which relates back to the point about hindrance and how life and well-being are affected through the setting. The hill that is referred to several times is symbolic of well-being and a satisfying life. The life that the Bride has before she is married is pure and spacious. And all of the sudden after she gets married she becomes cramped and confined so much so that she supposedly runs away with Leonardo. The themes that are portrayed through the setting are that a lack of space can change ones outlook on freedom and the living conditions that are set up for you. As well as a lack of any or some of the basic needs in life can create an unbalanced and unhealthy person or relationship.

Comments

My comments do not work on others blogs as well.

Shannon Graham's Wild Duck Journal #3: I agree with your assessment of the water and that it is significant. Why is it significant and what purpose is it serving?


Kylee Rosette's Wild Duck Journal #6: Food for thought: Both author's are criticizing power that is associated with knowledge. How does that relate to the time periods in which they were written?

Montana Agnew's Wild Duck Journal #2: I really like how you said that by the acts not picking up directly where they left off that it offers a new perspective. I agree completely. I also like your connection between the different relationships in parallelism to the acts. 

Wild Duck Journal #3

Poem:

Yes, we love this country

as it rises forth,

rocky, weathered, above the sea,

with those thousand homes.

Loving, loving it and thinking

about our father and mother

and the saga night that sends

dreams to our earth.

And the saga night that sends,

sends dreams to our earth.

 

This country Harald saved

with his giant fleet,

this country Håkon protected

whilst Øyvind sung;

upon the country Olav painted

with his blood a cross,

from its heights Sverre spoke

up against Rome.

 

Farmers their axes sharpened

as the army came,

Tordenskiold around the coastline thundered

so that we could see it back home.

Even women stood up and fought

as if they were men;

others could only cry

but that soon would end!

 

Sure, we were not many

but we were enough,

when they challenged us

and it was at stake;

we rather let our country burn

than be defeated;

just remember what happened

at Fredrikshald!

 

Hard times we have coped with,

were at last disowned;

but in the worst suffer, blue-eyed

freedom was to us born.

It gave (us) father's strength to carry

famine and war,

it gave death itself its honour -

and it gave compromise.

 

The enemy threw away his weapon,

up the visor went,

we, in wonder, to him hasted,

because he was our brother.

Driven onto stand by the shame

we went to the south;

now we three brothers stand united,

and shall stand like that!

 

Norwegian man in house and cottage,

thank your great God!

He would protect the country,

even though it looked dark.

And as the fathers have fought,

and the mothers have wept,

the Lord has quietly moved

so we won our rights.

 

Yes, we love this country

as it looms up,

rocky and weathered, above the sea,

with its thousand homes.

And as the fathers' struggle has raised

it from poverty to victory,

even so will we, when demanded,

for its peace to stay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wild Duck Journal #2

Point of View/Characters:
The point of view is the narrator. The narrator is third-person omniscient and does not seem to change at all throughout the first several acts. The narrator is reasonably reliable through the use of metaphors and other literary devices. The reader seems on the outside looking in at the characters which seems a little strange because its a play and the reader is supposed to know the motives of the characters but so far I haven't figured out any of the motives of the characters. I don't know much about the characters except for the minor conflict between Gregers and Werle. Most of the characters seem credible except for Gina. For example, she doesn't say a word about the person she got to rent the room even during or after the argument with Hjalmar and Gergers over whether or not Gergers could rent it. This seemed a little strange to me so there must be another reason for her keeping it from them. The women in this play are presented as women were portrayed in reality back in the 1800s: like slaves. The women seem to have to do all of the work. The exceptions are the two butlers Pettersen and Jensen who are paid for their services. We sympathize with Gregers because Werle seems to have a dark side that is mysterious and poses a threat to the other characters. For this reason the reader dislikes Werle. Hjalmar seems like a nice fellow and we sympathize with him because of his sense of humor and his wisdom.

Wild Duck Journal #1

Questions that Lay in Wild Duck and Oedipus:

• Which is better to have, knowledge or power?

In Oedipus, several of the characters are blessed with knowledge or power in community in which they live in. At first, it seems that the awesome power that Oedipus obtains is the saving grace of he people after he returns from solving the riddle of the Sphinx. However shortly after this, the blind prophet, Tiresias comes in and shatters everything that Oedipus was standing on with his incredible knowledge. Through this, it is shown that knowledge is in fact power that is equal to or above the power of a leader.

• What characteristics separate Oedipus from Creon that make Creon more stable in tough situations or under pressure?

Several things separate Oedipus and Creon. First of all, Oedipus is a marked man for angering a man in a bar which is never a good thing. Second, he accidentally is married to his mom. These two things have a big impact on him. In addition, he is the king which automatically gives him a lot of power and puts a big target on his back. Creon, in contrast, has no pressure on him because he has virtually no power. Also, he hasn't had the experiences that Oedipus has had that formed Oedipus's personality.

• How much does deceit play a part in the relationship between Werle and Gergers? 

So far in Wild Duck, Gergers does not trust Werle and this is shown through Werle's actions. Gergers explains that Werle does not communicate with his son very often and this led to Gerger leaving. The only way Werle can get his son to come back is by throwing him a fake party which is really for his wife-to-be. This shows much deceit on the part of Werle and digs himself a deeper hole with his son. It seems that by the end of the first act, any affection in the relationship is gone along with Gerger who leaves dismayed with his father. 

Oedipus Journal #3

Dramatic Life:
I agree with the statement that "Drama is but life with the dull bits cut out" to a certain extent. In order for the audience be captivated, the play needs to progress at a semi-rapid pass because it would get awfully boring if there was not enough "drama" as it were. The dramatic scenes of Oedipus and Wild Duck are what keep them engaging and readable. Although we can't see the actions of the characters as if we were watching the play, the language and tension that is created through the language makes the play entertaining and portrays the meanings of certain things. The drama that is created in Oedipus is strong even without viewing the actual actions of the characters as would be the case in the actual play. Imagining the actions of the characters is enough to get a good feeling of the intentions of the author. The play Oedipus really has little content that does not add to the suspense or drama of the play. It really is just a quick snapshot of the setting created by the author. It gets into the meat of the story and then gets out. Sophocles pulls us into the story really fast and brings us out even faster. That is why Oedipus is written in a trilogy because he thought it be of his best interest to have the short, quick plays that were more interesting because they were smaller and easier to manipulate. He uses the place holders in the trilogy as a quick break between action-packed nuggets of plays that are easy to read and act out and bring instant entertainment to the audience that was always hungry for that sort of thing, because they were mainly hungry ALL the time and didn't have much else to do. As for Wild Duck, there are less stage directions and less of the up and down tension swings to entertain, but Ibsen finds other ways that are less dramatic to serve the same purpose. Drama is life with all of the dull parts taken out which serve to entertain and illuminate a certain theme in the human experience. 

Oedipus Journal #2

Visual Action Vs. Speech
Visual aspects of drama vastly enhance the experiences of the reader in my opinion. The people who learn better visually and the people who relate to things better when they can see them probably agree this as well. The quote "actions speak louder than words" applies and really is the epitome of stage productions. Words can be depicted several different ways usually and don't have a clear meaning. The action of the word is much more precise and enhances all of the aspects of the play. The stage directions in the book can also help intensify the meanings that are trying to be expressed.
However, I believe that speech should not be overlooked either. The speech is deliberate and is expressed a certain way to highlight the diction and feelings expressed by the characters. Most of the time, the visual aspects of plays are not as important as the speech because they do not send the message as clear or as deliberate sometimes. The ostentatious portion of plays is really more for show in my opinion than for helping to understand the meaning thus making it less important. It does help to understand what the author meant by certain things through different interpretations of the text however, it is not essential to understanding the purpose of themes.
In Oedipus, the stage directions are very useful in deciphering what Sophocles really meant to occur. The stage directions themselves paint a picture in the mind to get a feeling of what was in mind when Sophocles wrote it. The directions give the reader a clearer understanding of the motives of certain people and how they choose to express their emotions. The visual aspects of Oedipus and some of the other key characters is very important and I feel like if I saw this play it would give me a much better understanding of what certain things were supposed to mean. For these reasons visual action is important for the most part but never more important than speech.

Oedipus Journal #1

Moments of Intensity:
In Oedipus the King, as in many other novels, plays, and poems, powerful moments are used to heighten the tension and pull at the reader's emotions. The success of this action is a key component of how the work as a whole is regarded among its' readers. If the points of passion are extraordinarily passionate and also enhance the plot and overall feeling of the story, then the work is usually a success and people enjoy the reading. The success of the intense moments rest mostly on how and why the emotions tug at someone. This is ultimately true in other arts such as film, music, and drama. The "climax" as it were is usually addressed with the most scrutiny and if the creator befouls this portion, then they can kiss success goodbye. As these forms of entertainment are used more and more to make people feel something, it is harder and harder to make this happen.
Oedipus the King is one of those examples of a work that never loses its passion even as it is worn down by time. It never fails to capture the audience and hold its' attention whether in dramatic form or in a book. This very thing happened with me as well. The passion and moments of intensity caught me and kept me reading and even made me impatient at times. Sophocles holds the reader captive by using the rising and falling climax to make the reader hold its' collective breath as all is revealed slowly to Oedipus almost painstakingly slow but relatively fast when thought about in verisimilitude to the actual story. By giving the reader a little extra insight, the rising and falling action tortures the reader by holding all inside until revealed to the protagonist. Sophocles does this very well by using intense language and that rising and falling action to make the reader experience all of the emotions along with Oedipus who is in a nightmare that doesn't seem to end.