Journal #10

List of Events:

• Oedipus dies
• Antigone is alone and decides she would rather live than die
• Haemon is talking to Ismene, despite asking to marry Antigone
• Creon's wife is Eurydice who sits and knits next to the Nurse. She knits until she dies in her room and is no help to her husband
• Oedipus' two sons, Polynices and Eteocles are to alternate being king every other year
• Eteocles, the eldest son, refused to step down after his one year of his reign
• Was a civil war
• The two brothers fought, killed each other just outside the city walls
• Creon is now King
• Creon want Eteocles to be buried with honor, but Polynices be left to rot and wants nobody to mourn him. Also, anyone that tries to give him a religious burial will be put to death

Reflection:
The play starts off surrounded by death. This was not a shocking beginning, because I just read the play Oedipus. The syntax of the Chorus when it is speaking differs. The sentence length is varied, there are many short and long sentences. The tone of the play starts off as sullen. This is shown through how death is mentioned multiples times. Sadness seems to encompass the play. Dark colors, such as dark blue and the setting is at night time,  all contribute to this dull tone that is created. Anouilh seems to be telling the story very laid back, which makes the play seem more realistic. The problems the characters face seem realistic because of the way Anouilh reveals what is happening because the sentences appear to be very matter of fact and factual. Also, since the Chorus is explaining the situation I feel like their purpose is to connect to the audience more than the other characters do.  

Topic Sentence

The Wife's decision to overlook Leonardo's visitations with the Bride shows that the truth is better to be revealed than concealed.

Journal #9

List of themes:

• The theme of choice and how it has an impact. This is shown through the Bride and how she makes herself marry the Bridegroom, when she really wants to marry Leonardo. She did not have to marry the Bridegroom but she felt like she had to or else she would let down all the guests that went to the wedding. Thus, Lorca displays that he is against forced marriage and how the choices you make shape your life.
• The theme of nature is prominent in the play. I noticed multiple references to the forest, trees, grapes, vineyards, the moon, and orange blossoms. The vineyards contribute to showing the difference between the rich and the poor because vineyards have connotations of wealth. Also, I think that the moon shows the harshness of nature and the moon talks about the consequences of isolation and loneliness.  
• The theme of how it is acceptable to push against society's norm. Lorca shows this through criticizing the Bridegroom and how Mother tells him how to control the Bride when they get married.
• The Mother is clearly the most miserable character in this play. Lorca portrays through her misery that wealth does not always equate to happiness and that forcing marriage upon someone that does not want it can be destructive, as the marriage is unlikely to work. Also, Lorca has the characters that follow the typical role during that time period get hurt by other characters in the play.

Journal #8

I noticed a big shift in the setting between Act II and Act III. This being that in Act II the setting is almost primarily all inside a house or church. In contrast, Act III begins out in the forest with three woodcutters talking. This was the most obvious setting change. Also, the tone throughout the play changes from happy to dull and sullen. In the start of Act III, in the setting is at night and in a "murky" atmosphere, which has a dark connotation. Additionally, murky means undefined and confusing, so it made me think about how the events that were happening were unclear. This uncertainty creates tension because this makes me as a reader unsure what to expect next. Also, with the setting being at nighttime, the prominence of the moon is illuminated. In Acts I and II, the minor characters serve as a way to change the mood or provide some comic. This contrasts Act III where the Woodcutters, the moon, and the Beggar Woman all seem to be aware about what is going to happen to the Bridegroom and Leonardo. Lastly, the dark tone is heightened in Act III by the death of these two men.  

Journal #7

I believe Lorca uses youth to portray multiple themes. He uses the youth as a way to contrast the ways of life between a child and an adult. For example, when Leonardo's baby is mentioned, it shows how different a child is from an adult. The baby cannot survive without the help of others and cannot make decisions for itself yet. Whereas, adults are opposites because they are expected to have full responsibility for their life. Therefore, Lorca is displaying that marriage concretes the fact that you are an adult and it officially marks the transformation from childhood to adulthood. Also, Lorca uses adulthood to show the power of choices and what you do has a profound impact on your life. I believe Lorca is against forcing marriage upon someone that does not want it because that marriage is not likely to work out. Additionally, enjoying ones childhood, up to a certain point, can be valuable because most of your life is spent being an adult. Lorca shows this through the Bride not wanting to get married to the Bridegroom. Lorca ultimately wants us to enjoy our youth while it lasts because they are some of the best years in our life.

Blood Wedding Journal #6

I found Mother to be clearly the most miserable character in the play, Blood Wedding. She ultimately has to suffer through the death of her son, the Bridegroom, at the end of the play, but also her father and and another one of her sons was killed. It was revealed that her father and one of her sons had been killed by knives in the first scene of the book so immediately the tone is dull and sullen. Throughout the entire play, Mother seems to be unhappy as she questions whether her son is making the right choice to marry the Bride. She expresses her feelings unhesitatingly as she appears to be somewhat overprotective of her son and is one of the most vocal characters in the play. She also gets easily upset when knives are brought up because of the bad connotations they bring, and she remembers the death of her two family members. I think Mother wants her son to obtain happiness as she risks her own to do this.

Blood Wedding #5

Some archetypes I found were characters were not given a specific name. Also, he shows how the society is, such as roles of women and the values that lead to a marriage. I believe the generic names are used to show the individualism of the characters. Even though most characters do not have a specific name, they still all have a distinct difference from each other. The only character with a specific name is Leonardo, and this name means lion which furthers his separation from other characters. Lorca is portraying that Leonardo has the strength to sway a woman into loving him again, which he emphasizes through giving the character the name, Leonardo. Thus, I believe Lorca sides with the fact that women are not the kind and loving person that society expects them to be. Lorca also shows that marriage can be detrimental if it is based off of one's social status, but rather marriage should be decided on whether you truly have affection and love for that person. Lorca shows this through the Bridegroom and the Bride's marriage falling apart.