Journal #12 Antigone

Yes and No


During Antigone and Creon's discussion, the concept of yes and no are brought up several times. Antigone repeatedly says no to Creon's pleas to just go back to her room. She blames him for saying yes to the duty of becoming King. According to Creon though, saying no is the easy route. "To say yes, you have to sweat and roll up your sleeves and plunge both hands into life up to the elbows" (37). What he means it that  'yes' involves responsibility and action, while 'no' is denying the path of nature. "Can you imagine a world in which trees say no to the sap?" (37) Animals are simple and are motivated by survival instincts: yes I am hungry, yes I am tired, yes I am thirty, yes I need to reproduce. On the other hand, humans are complicated because they have emotions. If Antigone was an animal, she would say yes to Creon because it would deter away from death, a survival instinct. That is Creon's argument. Antigone accuses Creon of taking a job he does not want. "I don't have to listen to you if I don't want to. You've said your yes" (35). Creon gave up life for a duty. Antigone is giving up her life for moral righteousness. One could argue for either character because a tragedy shows the inevitable deaths. It is destiny not evil or good that the two disagree.

Journal #11 Antigone

The chorus' tone has changed from casually retelling events to an emotional explanation. This change it due to the turn of events in the play. In the beginning, everyone seems fine so the chorus need not hype up the audience. Now, the audience is getting more engaged so the chorus uses this moment to explain to them, what makes a tragedy. It is kind of like another definition or essay on what a tragedy is. The chorus states that "In a tragedy, nothing is in doubt and everyone's destiny is known. That makes for tranquility [...] You're trapped. The whole sky has fallen on you" (24). In a couple paragraphs, the chorus' tone has changed once again to a more laid back voice. He understands the excitement in the audience and mimics it, but than draws them to the realization that there is no real suspense because there is no doubt or mystery about everyone's destiny. The chorus is also getting more personal with the audience by using 'you' and 'I'. This is Anouilh's way of forcing the audience to reflect the play on their own life.

Journal #10 Antigone

List of Events


-Polynices and Eteocles have killed each other in battle. 
-Creon declares Polynices shan't be buried and anyone that does so much to grieve him will be put the death
-At a ball, Haemon asks Antigone to marry him and she agrees
-Antigone knows she will die and thinks intensely
-She sneaks out to talk to Haemon
-They quarrel
-Nurse catches her


Reflection


Anouilh begins the play with the chorus who narrates the preceding and succeeding events. The tone is very casual even when talking about the deaths to come. She does this in order to give the audience the whole picture of the plot. A tragedy always ends in death so it does not matter that the ending is revealed, rather, the explanation prepares the audience for the cathartic reactions to the performance. 


Antigone's motivation is to go against King Creon which is punishable by death. That is why her actions are kept secretive and she secludes herself. When the nurse catches her she purposely talks strangely and repeats things over and over as if mocking the Nurse. She uses many words to describe the beauty and wonderfulness of the night. "The garden was lovely. It was still asleep. Have you ever thought how lovely a garden is when it is not yet thinking of men?" (6). Her tone becomes precise as she tells the truth. "Antigone [soberly]. No. Not wicked" (7).  It is soon revealed, that Antigone is afraid. After the argument with Isemene she begs Nurse to give her strength. With that strength she goes to tell Haemon that she cannot marry him. Antigone's actions are very well thought out, although she shows mild fear, she is determined to follow her plans. Anouilh shows what Antigone did during the night through Antigone's conversation with Haemon to better understand her feeling and motivation. Instead of showing the scene played out, the audience sees it through Antigone's view. This causes the audience to relate with Antigone more. 

Topic Sentence

In Blood Wedding, by Fredrico Garcia Lorca, Father's optimistic attitude leads him to overlook inevitable truths.

Journal #9 Blood Wedding

Journal #9: Create a list of themes that Lorca creates in the play.


1. Choosing between family obligations, traditions versus personal passion


The Bride is expected by her father and the community to get married to the Groom. This leads her to lie about her true feelings for Leonardo. She is pressured to follow the social norms, and attempts to, but in the end follows her passion.


2. The Bride's decision to let both the men she love kill each other, instead of choosing one-fate


Fate moves the Blood Wedding. It could be said that another Felix coming to kill the Groom was predetermined. This could be why the Mother fretted so much because she feared that this was inevitable. The Bride also leads the men to kill each other, although this is something she did not want herself. The Bride is guilty at the end she describes her motivation as "a woman consumed by fire". This was something that affected her emotionally and physically burning at her soul that she had to leave the Groom.


3. Living in an unhappy situation drives a person to seek control


The mother's character is very controlling of her son, the Groom. She is afraid of him marrying a bad girl. She is unhappy because she cannot forgive nor forget the death of her other son and husband. Thus she needs to control her son in hopes of keeping him from being killed as well.


The Bride is limited by traditional obligations to marry, especially after she gave the Groom her promise. This makes her very unhappy. She takes it out on the maid by being rude and bossy.


Both of these characters have no easy escape for their situation and this makes them very mad/unhappy. The loss of control is the main cause of depression. To cope, the mother and bride seek controlling another aspect of their life. In both cases, they control another character.

Journal #8 Blood Wedding

Journal #8: How does the set change between acts and what effect does the set have on the atmosphere? 


Act I had simpler scenes that took place in the homes of the mother, Leonardo, and the Bride. In Act II, there is a larger contrast from Act I. Act II, Scene I, starts off at the wedding party. Everyone is dressed nice and maids put a lot of preparation for the guests. In the Bride's cave, where in Act I seemed simplistic and plain, it is also festive. There are shades of white, grays, and cool blues. These colors begin to set the tone for the end of the play. In the final Act III, the atmosphere has completely darkened. It is described as murky. This foreshadows the death that awaits. Lorca uses these three main settings to keep the play unpredictable. Especially in the second Act when there are a lot of people and festives. The subtle color shades transition the setting to the last. 

Journal #7 Blood Wedding

There are a variety of youth in the second act. Why? How does Lorca use the youth to affect the themes of the play?


In the second Act II, Lorca shows youth in a variety of ways and how it can waste away. The bride speaks of her own mother "[she] came from a place where there were many trees, from a fertile land..but she wasted away here" (39). This indicates that where they are now is a place that is like the old and barren, a place to die. This contrasts with the maid who treats the Bride like a child who reluctantly continues the wedding. The Bride is a complex character. She does now wish to marry and seems to see it as losing her freedom, yet, she instigates Leonardo and the Groom's slaying leaving her all alone. I think the orange flowers she refuses to wear represent youth and innocence. Like a flower, they have a blooming and golden period before they wither away. Than there is the chorus of girls (first, second, and third) who sing about the excitement before a marriage. They imagine a gallant lover and her long hair flowing like something out of a fairy tale. This again shows the innocent, beauty of youth. They use nature in their versus, especially flowers. Unlike the Bride, the Bridegroom enjoys this feeling of youth. "It makes me happy to see you wearing your crown!" (54). 

Journal #6 Blood Wedding

Which characters appear to be miserable int he play and why?  When and how do the characters express their misery? What do the characters desire and what stops them from going after what each desires? 


The mother is the most miserable character because she has already lost a husband and son, and soon will lose another. By the way she constantly expresses her hatred towards the Felix and the pain it caused her, it is evident she had not started the healing process what so ever. She is constantly suspicious of anyone with the name Felix and this causes herself more misery because she is not free, but weighted by these heavy emotions. "I ache down to the end of my veins! On all their faces, I see nothing but the hand that killed what was mine. Do you seem? Don't I seem mad to you? Well, I am mad-from not having shouted out everything I needed to. I have a scream in my throat" (60). From this quote, the mother describes how repressed she is from expressing her emotions. The people around her tell her to "leave it alone!" (60) or "Control yourself! What do you gain from this?" (16). Thus, because of society the mother dwells in her misery, only able to express it when she has the rare chance, only to get shut up.

Journal #5 Blood Wedding

Journal #5 Examine how Lorca characterize the archetypes of the play.  Does Lorca embrace or reject the archetype?  What is the effect of the characterization? 


I noticed how female characters and male characters contrast. At the start of Act II, the mother in law is singing a lullaby to the child. This shows the universal role as a homemaker. In her song or poem, she foreshadows the future. This also shows she is wise. Leonardo, however, is portrayed as a man who doesn't give too much time to his family. He lies to his wife about traveling to the wasteland. But in the case of the Brides and the Bridegroom, the gender traits are flipped. The bride is rude and unfaithful. The bridegroom although a lot more caring than Leonardo, still is portrayed harsher than the other females (besides the bride). Lorca rejects the norm that females are patient, faithful, and kind in the Bride's character. 


Another symbol is money. Leonard's mother, the mother in law, states "Two wealthy families are going to be joined" (24). This shows how wealthy people are talked about and have a higher status. The girl is very interested in what they can buy. "The bridegroom came to the store, and he's bought the best of everything!" (24). Again, this shows the status people hold if they have money. However, the bride rejects the presents even though "women dream of such stockings!" (24). Her rejection is due to the fact that she does not look forward to the wedding because she is in love with another man. Lorca's characterizes the Bride to not fit the female stereotype nor value money. I think he embraces both because the Bride is expected to marry off and therefore attempts to do that. Her disdain for the gifts shows her love for Leonardo. Although a dislikable character, Lorca uses her to address social symbols. 

Journal #4 Blood Wedding

Two symbols that emerged in Act I are flowers and walls. The mother brings up both of them. She describes the knives as evil and the creation of monsters that destroyed her husband and son who were like flowers. She uses different flowers to describe them: carnations, germanium, and several others throughout the play. The mother treats the wall as her commitment. "I didn't look at anyone. I looked at your father, and when they killed him, I looked at the wall in front of me. One woman with one man, and that's it" (10). And again, she mentions the wall with her commitment to her husband and honoring his death. "Because I will dig him up with my fingernails! And all by myself, I will smash him against the wall!" (9). There is a metaphorical and physical wall. One that blocks the mother from the outside world and one she uses to destroy. The mother varies in tone, from beautiful flowers to smashing against walls. It shows her distress from the lives lost. Lorca uses a lot of nature in the play. Flowers are one of the natural beauties in the world. Describing people as flowers shows genuine beauty and kindness. The wall is man made. Marriage is man made. Jealousy, anger, killing, love are all derived from men. When the mother talks about her commitment as a wall, she makes it sound like something she was enslaved to, not necessarily out of love.