Prompt: Setting: This includes cultural as well as geographical and historical setting. What effect does the setting have on story, character, theme?
There is a contrast between the setting in Act I and Act II. Act I takes place in the Werle's House. It is described as, "A richly and comfortably furnished study, with bookcases and upholstered furniture...brightly lit by lamps and candelabra." (119). Additionally, there are multiple rooms and the scene opens up with a manservant and a hired waiter. Act II takes place in Hjalmar Ekdal's studio. The studio is described as, "The studio is simply but comfortably furnished and decorated...on the table is a lighted lamp with a shade; by the stove an old armchair. Photographic apparatus and equipment of various sorts are set up here and there in the room. At the left of the double doors stands a bookcase containing a few books..." (137). This change in setting can show the different social classes that these two families are in. The Werle's house is much more furnished and shows the wealth that the Werle family has. On the contrary, Ekdal's studio is less furnished and crowded with stuff. This connects with the story because Old Ekdal had all his fortune torn away from him since the scandal. Therefore, the poor furnished studio shows the effect of the scandal on the family. There is also a lack of food in the Ekdal's household. Act II opens up with Hedvig and Gina speaking about the money strains and how hungry Hedvig is. Whereas, there is a banquet at the Werle's household with excess food.
Furthermore, the setting change connects to the motif of blindness. Since the Ekdal family is living in a much more darker home, there is this sense that they cannot see what is going on. Like the plot of the book, there are many unknown truths that will be soon revealed. For example, there maybe an affair between Gina and Hakon Werle. This is unknown to Hjalmar and thus he is living in the dark.
There is also a connection to the theme of improving one self. Hjalmar is set on restoring his family's name. So the setting in his studio illustrates how low he's starting at and the Werle's House serves as what he wishes to achieve.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Oedipus Question #2
Defend Oedipus' choice in blinding himself. Why was blinding himself better than any other outcome?
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Oedipus Journal #4
Prompt: Narrative structure: How has the plot (not the story) been constructed? Are there parts? Is the plot circular? Subplots? How important/effective is the ending? Has everything been revealed by the end or are there unanswered questions? Does this matter? What period of time has been covered? Is time important?
How has the plot been constructed? The plot is constructed mostly through word of mouth. The chorus and the messenger provide a lot of the insight into what is happening in the book. There are no insights into the character's thoughts, we are only presented with what is said out loud.
Are there any parts? No, it is a play that moves from scene to scene but there's no clear stop or end.
Is the plot circular? Yes, the play starts with a clear problem and a clear message from the God: find and kill Laius' killer. By the end of the play, the killer is revealed.
Subplots? Partially. Oedipus' search for his biological parents occurs during the same time as the search for Laius' murderer.
How important/effective is the ending? The ending is very effective. There is a sense of irony in the play. Oedipus first learns that he was the killer of his own father by a blind prophet and now Oedipus is blind. The ending is important because it solves the problems that were originally asked in the beginning of the play.
Has everything been revealed by the end or are there unanswered questions? The main problems were solved, but Oedipus whereabouts are still unknown. It is revealed that he will be exiled but there's not clear place that is says he will go.
Does this matter? No, the main point of the novel was not where Oedipus ends but the fact that he was a great leader that lost all of his power.
What period of time has been covered? There was no clear amount of time covered but it did not feel like a lot of time passed between the beginning and end.
Is time important? No, I do not believe it was.
How has the plot been constructed? The plot is constructed mostly through word of mouth. The chorus and the messenger provide a lot of the insight into what is happening in the book. There are no insights into the character's thoughts, we are only presented with what is said out loud.
Are there any parts? No, it is a play that moves from scene to scene but there's no clear stop or end.
Is the plot circular? Yes, the play starts with a clear problem and a clear message from the God: find and kill Laius' killer. By the end of the play, the killer is revealed.
Subplots? Partially. Oedipus' search for his biological parents occurs during the same time as the search for Laius' murderer.
How important/effective is the ending? The ending is very effective. There is a sense of irony in the play. Oedipus first learns that he was the killer of his own father by a blind prophet and now Oedipus is blind. The ending is important because it solves the problems that were originally asked in the beginning of the play.
Has everything been revealed by the end or are there unanswered questions? The main problems were solved, but Oedipus whereabouts are still unknown. It is revealed that he will be exiled but there's not clear place that is says he will go.
Does this matter? No, the main point of the novel was not where Oedipus ends but the fact that he was a great leader that lost all of his power.
What period of time has been covered? There was no clear amount of time covered but it did not feel like a lot of time passed between the beginning and end.
Is time important? No, I do not believe it was.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
IOP Journal #5
Book: We
Topic: How the colors of we enhance the understanding of the book
Today's Focus: Organizing my thoughts so I can focus on what I will be presenting.
Presenting tool: As much as I have heard that power points are boring, I honestly cannot think of a more effective way to present this idea. However, I'm going to focus more on images rather than words. So the purpose of the power point is just to project the color that I will be speaking of. I'll refrain from using words as much as possible, hopefully this will let it be less 'boring'.
Rough Outline for my own personal reference:
I. Summary of Novel
Topic: How the colors of we enhance the understanding of the book
Today's Focus: Organizing my thoughts so I can focus on what I will be presenting.
Presenting tool: As much as I have heard that power points are boring, I honestly cannot think of a more effective way to present this idea. However, I'm going to focus more on images rather than words. So the purpose of the power point is just to project the color that I will be speaking of. I'll refrain from using words as much as possible, hopefully this will let it be less 'boring'.
Rough Outline for my own personal reference:
I. Summary of Novel
- I'll try to keep this short and to the point. I'll cover the plot, the main characters, and the ending.
II. Blue - Stability and Intelligence
- Basically covering what was said in the first journal entry. That D-503 begins to classify his world as "blue" and through the images that he presents he's showing how his society is structured and how he considers it stable and free of any problems.
III. Yellow - Warning, Confusion, Cowardliness
- How meeting I-330 and her yellow dress dress represents a warning that she may cause things to change.
- To seeing a yellow world which stands for hope/happiness. This shows a clear contrast. Though he's beginning to see things differently it's a different type of happiness than depicted by the color "blue". "Blue" indicates that things are stable, "yellow" doesn't mean stable but is above contentment.
- When he runs into the medical office describing a "yellow world" we see another contrast. This time it can be seen as D-503 feeling like a coward because he cannot fully understand what is happening to him and cannot take any action against his "sickness"
- Through yellow we can see a conflicting image, one with 3 different connotations that it can leave the reader feeling confused as to what the character is trying to feel/sense. Thus, we can see that D-503 is as confused as the reader.
- Can also show a progression from old life because yellow is a warm color it moves forward whereas blue recedes. So yellow dominates blue.
(Put blue and yellow together and you get...)
IV. Green - Renewal, rebirth, growth
- The Green Wall: A balance between the two worlds
- The outside world: Shows a rebirth in his idea of his society. A renewal because everything is new to him. (I'm debating on whether or not to include the "inexperienced" analysis into this. I think it'll get a bit complicated and since I'm trying to focus on how D-503 world changes I don't think analyzing the people are as necessary.)
- Green against blue: Shows the death of something and the renewal of something else
(I'm considering mentioning: Though green signifies this new life. Zamyatin focuses a lot on how there's no finite. But in contrast, the novel states that there is an end. So this new life filled with green cannot be possible. And as it can be seen, things start to retract.)
V. D-503 Retracting
- He begins to notice some things that are yellow again. (This is another reference to his neighbor with the yellow wrinkles, something that I have not previously analyzed. I'm trying to keep this presentation simplistic so I don't end up confusing people. So I'm still trying to decide if adding another character will confuse or aid to the understanding of this novel.)
- He starts to describe things as "blue spasms" and this shows how his old life is seeping into his new one
- The blue cigarette. The last encounter with I-330, D-503 realizes that their relationship is over. That she was using him. She was smoking a cigarette that blew blue smoke. At the end of the chapter he ends up looking at this cigarette. From here, he decides to go to the Office of Guardians and confess of everything that has happened.
- He does end up going through the operation and returning to the mindset he once had.
VI. I-330 : A balance between white and black: life and death
- She is first described as with "white teeth" a sign of life.
- After going beyond the green wall her eyes/eyebrows are described as black, a sign of death
- All of this shows a contrast in I-330, though she's bringing life into this new world, she creates death among the old one.
Things that I'm contemplating on putting in or not:
1) O-99: Pink, a symbol of tenderness
- I'm considering taking this out due to time restraints. But because I find this connection so important: D-503 holds a different relationship with O-99. She's treated more tenderly like a child, just like what pink represents. This mother like quality later suggests her having a child.
2) The Operation
- While passing by the room D-503 describes it all as white. Too much white can signify blindness. So what this operation is doing is blinding or removing imagination from the people. It can also refer to cleanliness, like cleansing the mind from something bad. I would really like to include this in the presentation because I feel like it is a good connection but I don't see where it would fit.
3) S: He starts off as pink, just like how he's a guardian to D. He's not overpowering but a protector. Yet, at the end of the novel he turns red. So this is a more forceful color and shows a contrast between the protector of D-503 and the double agent that he is. I feel as if I shouldn't include him because he does not have a large part in the novel and it would take too much time to try to explain why his character exists to people who haven't read the book.
4) The Ancient House: Incorporates all the warm colors. This overflow of red, orange, and yellow shows how much energy is contained. Indicates that there's importance in the place, something that cannot be contained, and has significance that can dominate over the "blue" world.
5) The Benefactor: Is described as purple (meaning royalty) and white (purity, cleanliness). Again, I don't know where this would fit into the presentation.
There's just too many significant colors in this book, but I'm sure that once I get the main analysis written down, I'll see what is necessary to put in.
This concludes my 5 required journal entries. Hopefully, they appear detailed and well thought out.
II. Blue - Stability and Intelligence
- Basically covering what was said in the first journal entry. That D-503 begins to classify his world as "blue" and through the images that he presents he's showing how his society is structured and how he considers it stable and free of any problems.
III. Yellow - Warning, Confusion, Cowardliness
- How meeting I-330 and her yellow dress dress represents a warning that she may cause things to change.
- To seeing a yellow world which stands for hope/happiness. This shows a clear contrast. Though he's beginning to see things differently it's a different type of happiness than depicted by the color "blue". "Blue" indicates that things are stable, "yellow" doesn't mean stable but is above contentment.
- When he runs into the medical office describing a "yellow world" we see another contrast. This time it can be seen as D-503 feeling like a coward because he cannot fully understand what is happening to him and cannot take any action against his "sickness"
- Through yellow we can see a conflicting image, one with 3 different connotations that it can leave the reader feeling confused as to what the character is trying to feel/sense. Thus, we can see that D-503 is as confused as the reader.
- Can also show a progression from old life because yellow is a warm color it moves forward whereas blue recedes. So yellow dominates blue.
(Put blue and yellow together and you get...)
IV. Green - Renewal, rebirth, growth
- The Green Wall: A balance between the two worlds
- The outside world: Shows a rebirth in his idea of his society. A renewal because everything is new to him. (I'm debating on whether or not to include the "inexperienced" analysis into this. I think it'll get a bit complicated and since I'm trying to focus on how D-503 world changes I don't think analyzing the people are as necessary.)
- Green against blue: Shows the death of something and the renewal of something else
(I'm considering mentioning: Though green signifies this new life. Zamyatin focuses a lot on how there's no finite. But in contrast, the novel states that there is an end. So this new life filled with green cannot be possible. And as it can be seen, things start to retract.)
V. D-503 Retracting
- He begins to notice some things that are yellow again. (This is another reference to his neighbor with the yellow wrinkles, something that I have not previously analyzed. I'm trying to keep this presentation simplistic so I don't end up confusing people. So I'm still trying to decide if adding another character will confuse or aid to the understanding of this novel.)
- He starts to describe things as "blue spasms" and this shows how his old life is seeping into his new one
- The blue cigarette. The last encounter with I-330, D-503 realizes that their relationship is over. That she was using him. She was smoking a cigarette that blew blue smoke. At the end of the chapter he ends up looking at this cigarette. From here, he decides to go to the Office of Guardians and confess of everything that has happened.
- He does end up going through the operation and returning to the mindset he once had.
VI. I-330 : A balance between white and black: life and death
- She is first described as with "white teeth" a sign of life.
- After going beyond the green wall her eyes/eyebrows are described as black, a sign of death
- All of this shows a contrast in I-330, though she's bringing life into this new world, she creates death among the old one.
Things that I'm contemplating on putting in or not:
1) O-99: Pink, a symbol of tenderness
- I'm considering taking this out due to time restraints. But because I find this connection so important: D-503 holds a different relationship with O-99. She's treated more tenderly like a child, just like what pink represents. This mother like quality later suggests her having a child.
2) The Operation
- While passing by the room D-503 describes it all as white. Too much white can signify blindness. So what this operation is doing is blinding or removing imagination from the people. It can also refer to cleanliness, like cleansing the mind from something bad. I would really like to include this in the presentation because I feel like it is a good connection but I don't see where it would fit.
3) S: He starts off as pink, just like how he's a guardian to D. He's not overpowering but a protector. Yet, at the end of the novel he turns red. So this is a more forceful color and shows a contrast between the protector of D-503 and the double agent that he is. I feel as if I shouldn't include him because he does not have a large part in the novel and it would take too much time to try to explain why his character exists to people who haven't read the book.
4) The Ancient House: Incorporates all the warm colors. This overflow of red, orange, and yellow shows how much energy is contained. Indicates that there's importance in the place, something that cannot be contained, and has significance that can dominate over the "blue" world.
5) The Benefactor: Is described as purple (meaning royalty) and white (purity, cleanliness). Again, I don't know where this would fit into the presentation.
There's just too many significant colors in this book, but I'm sure that once I get the main analysis written down, I'll see what is necessary to put in.
This concludes my 5 required journal entries. Hopefully, they appear detailed and well thought out.
Oedipus Journal #3
Type of Journal: Creative
Prompt: Diary entries from any of the characters
Point of view: Jocasta when she is about to give Oedipus away
Appalling news from the Gods. My son, my son of my own flesh and blood, is destined to kill his own parents. The same parents that are sure to nurture him, raise him, and give him all that this world desires. How can this be true? I hold this baby boy in my arms and I cannot envision him turning against his own mother! The citizens of the town have sentenced this defenseless baby to death. Laius, his own father, cannot even look at his own son. And yet throughout this ordeal, the boy still smiles in his sleep. Does he not realize that the world he was introduced to is the same world that he's being taken away from? Does he not see that the faces that use to smile down on him are the ones that cannot even stand to look at him? I cannot imagine what would drive this innocent being to commit such revolting crimes. Yet, a part of me believes it is possible. A part of me fears that my own blood will commit crimes against his own kind. A part of me knows that the Gods never lie. Laius speaks the truth. If my son commits these crimes, he is not my son. He is a threat to our country. Anyone who threatens this country is to be banished and destroyed. They must take my child away. Tomorrow, I cannot bear to even think of it. I will not wake, I will not think, I will call for the Shepherd to take him away, and I will rid this child from my mind. The Gods never lie. A prophecy is a prophecy. And this child is destined to pain, suffering, and death. And I pray to God that I am doing the right thing.
Prompt: Diary entries from any of the characters
Point of view: Jocasta when she is about to give Oedipus away
Appalling news from the Gods. My son, my son of my own flesh and blood, is destined to kill his own parents. The same parents that are sure to nurture him, raise him, and give him all that this world desires. How can this be true? I hold this baby boy in my arms and I cannot envision him turning against his own mother! The citizens of the town have sentenced this defenseless baby to death. Laius, his own father, cannot even look at his own son. And yet throughout this ordeal, the boy still smiles in his sleep. Does he not realize that the world he was introduced to is the same world that he's being taken away from? Does he not see that the faces that use to smile down on him are the ones that cannot even stand to look at him? I cannot imagine what would drive this innocent being to commit such revolting crimes. Yet, a part of me believes it is possible. A part of me fears that my own blood will commit crimes against his own kind. A part of me knows that the Gods never lie. Laius speaks the truth. If my son commits these crimes, he is not my son. He is a threat to our country. Anyone who threatens this country is to be banished and destroyed. They must take my child away. Tomorrow, I cannot bear to even think of it. I will not wake, I will not think, I will call for the Shepherd to take him away, and I will rid this child from my mind. The Gods never lie. A prophecy is a prophecy. And this child is destined to pain, suffering, and death. And I pray to God that I am doing the right thing.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
IOP Journal #4
Book: We
Topic: How the colors in We we enhance the understanding of the novel.
Today's focus: quick update on blue, and green.
Forgive me for not analyzing these passages deeply, but for the sake of time (and mostly for me to not forget) I'm just going to quickly summarize these three passages:
“Pieces of blue walls and towers tumble from above, grow larger with terrifying speed, but they must still fly hours—perhaps days—through infinity.” (pg 172)
“Icy-blue, the Integral shimmered, sparkled.” (pg 181)
“I clearly see the blue, watery veins and nodes...but all of this is quite apart from me...” (pg 188)
These all show that the society that he once considered perfect no longer exists. It is all coming down, far away, ect. As for the Integral, "ice" gives it a negative connotation similar to death. It's no longer close, thus like the other passages there's a clear division between his old life and new.
Green: signifies life, growth, freshness, renewal, health, safety, and environment. On the negative side it can suggest jealousy and inexperience. Since it is partially a warm and cool colors it can show balance, harmony, and stability. Green with blue suggests nature with can denote new beginnings and growth.
Green Wall: Why green? Well, not only does it signify safety in that the people are contained in their 'perfect' society, it also suggests that something new is outside. Thus you have this wall that is the balance, the middle, between the structured society and the outside, mysterious, world.
D-503 finally makes it outside the Green Wall. In this outside world it is described that there's more green. The trees, mold, ect, “...not a firm, level surface, but something revoltingly soft, yielding, springy, green, alive.” (pg 155). The word alive is used to describe this new world as well as the color green. D-503 is growing in that he's experiencing this new society with different ideas. They're the renewal of the society; something new and refreshing from the same old lifestyle. Additionally, they are inexperienced. Some are dressed in fur and they don't have the experience to really take over the One State. I-330 ends up giving a speech and says, "the day has come when we shall break down the Wall—all walls—to let the green wind blow free from end to end—across the earth" (pg 157). Though she's encouraging to break down the one divider (balance) between the new worlds, the "green wind" is referring to a new life. She wants to bring in these fresh ideas into the same old world and thus start a revolution, a growth in their society. And another from D-503, “Sun, heads, a green serrated line against the blue...” (pg 158). So what is seen is that green is taking over the color blue. According to the definition above when green is accompanied by blue, this signifies new beginnings and growth. So if blue represents his old life and green is this new society, the connection can be made that the two worlds have collided and with it new outcomes are to come. The green is breaking apart the old society and together they will create a new 'color'.
I'm aware that my analysis wasn't very detailed/clear. Hopefully it'll sound better when I actually present it.
Topic: How the colors in We we enhance the understanding of the novel.
Today's focus: quick update on blue, and green.
Forgive me for not analyzing these passages deeply, but for the sake of time (and mostly for me to not forget) I'm just going to quickly summarize these three passages:
“Pieces of blue walls and towers tumble from above, grow larger with terrifying speed, but they must still fly hours—perhaps days—through infinity.” (pg 172)
“Icy-blue, the Integral shimmered, sparkled.” (pg 181)
“I clearly see the blue, watery veins and nodes...but all of this is quite apart from me...” (pg 188)
These all show that the society that he once considered perfect no longer exists. It is all coming down, far away, ect. As for the Integral, "ice" gives it a negative connotation similar to death. It's no longer close, thus like the other passages there's a clear division between his old life and new.
Green: signifies life, growth, freshness, renewal, health, safety, and environment. On the negative side it can suggest jealousy and inexperience. Since it is partially a warm and cool colors it can show balance, harmony, and stability. Green with blue suggests nature with can denote new beginnings and growth.
Green Wall: Why green? Well, not only does it signify safety in that the people are contained in their 'perfect' society, it also suggests that something new is outside. Thus you have this wall that is the balance, the middle, between the structured society and the outside, mysterious, world.
D-503 finally makes it outside the Green Wall. In this outside world it is described that there's more green. The trees, mold, ect, “...not a firm, level surface, but something revoltingly soft, yielding, springy, green, alive.” (pg 155). The word alive is used to describe this new world as well as the color green. D-503 is growing in that he's experiencing this new society with different ideas. They're the renewal of the society; something new and refreshing from the same old lifestyle. Additionally, they are inexperienced. Some are dressed in fur and they don't have the experience to really take over the One State. I-330 ends up giving a speech and says, "the day has come when we shall break down the Wall—all walls—to let the green wind blow free from end to end—across the earth" (pg 157). Though she's encouraging to break down the one divider (balance) between the new worlds, the "green wind" is referring to a new life. She wants to bring in these fresh ideas into the same old world and thus start a revolution, a growth in their society. And another from D-503, “Sun, heads, a green serrated line against the blue...” (pg 158). So what is seen is that green is taking over the color blue. According to the definition above when green is accompanied by blue, this signifies new beginnings and growth. So if blue represents his old life and green is this new society, the connection can be made that the two worlds have collided and with it new outcomes are to come. The green is breaking apart the old society and together they will create a new 'color'.
I'm aware that my analysis wasn't very detailed/clear. Hopefully it'll sound better when I actually present it.
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