Answers To My Oedipus Questions

 Why then, did nobody, specially the people of Thebes (including Jocasta) notice the very possible resemblance between the late King Laius and Oedipus?

I have no real answer to this question. All I can imagine is that the majority of Greeks at that time shared the same features and hence it would be hard to really pinpoint family resemblance.

Why did Oedipus refuse so stubbornly to see that he was king Laius’ murderer and son?

I guess this trait of his needed to be present in order for the play to work. This provides all the “meat” for the play and entertainment for the audience.

Can there really be that maybe coincidences?

Yes, but the characters don’t see all the coincidences like the audience does.

Can someone, even in fiction, be so renuent to see what is in front of his eyes?

This just exalts Oedipus’ stubbornness and the play’s tragic plot.

I wonder if the audience in 430 BCE really thought Oedipus did not see the truth until the end, or if they just took it for what it was worth in order to enjoy the play?

I think that the audience was aware and that it was the process of the characters finding out the truth that they enjoyed.

Where the men not armed? Did kings back then travel without any security components in place?

I did some research and all I could gather was that Greece was a well war equipped culture so it still makes no sense to me as to why Laius was traveling without soldiers.

"Horse Dealer's Daughter" by D.W. Lawrence p. 471

Joe

He is the oldest brother and seems to have more restraint or self control but still seems to be one to react and have no sense of direction.  

Fred Henry

He is the next brother seemed to feel or possess more control over his life. He is arrogant or cocky.

Malcolm

He is the youngest brother. I perceive him as more easy going and laid back.

Mabel

She is the sister. To me, she seems to feel lonely, desperate to be loved and feel protected. I think she feels quite unappreciated.

Dr. Fergusson

He is presented as kind and smart. He is giving and caring, doing selfless things as part of his life.

Cathedral by Raymond Carver p. 180

 When I was in highschool, used to look down on people that didn’t complete their assignments or seemed to have trouble focusing. I honestly though that they were lazy, and those that claimed ADD were just hiding behind that excuse.  I guess karma wanted to teach me a lesson and decided to put me in the very small percentage of ADD people who develop it during adulthood. How funny is that? I struggle now with following through with long term projects as I dwell on details or lose focus quickly. It is a little petty of me to compare ADD to any ‘real’ handicaps but it has been a humbling experience for me as I have had to rearrange my lifestyle and develop coping skills to deal with it.

Oedipus Questions

1.Who wrote the play?

Sophocles

2. Briefly define the Oedipal Complex.

It is a psychological concept or theory that suggests that boys are attracted to their mothers and resent their fathers. It is considered to be a component of sexual maturity and growth as well as psychological phenomena. The Electra complex is the equivalent for girls wanting to sexually possess their fathers and resent their mothers.

3. What is the setting of the story, specifically, the where?

It takes place in front of the royal palace of Thebes, Greece.

4. As the play opens, what horrible thing is going on?

There is a terrible plague.

5. Whose death must be avenged in order for the horrible thing from number 4 to end?

The former king of Thebes’ murder, king Laius.

6. Who is Oedipus’ wife?

Her name is Jocasta. She is the queen of Thebes and Oedipus’ birth mother.

7. Who is Oedipus’ mother?

Oedipus’ mother is the queen of Thebes as well as his wife, Jocasta.

8. Who is Oedipus’ father?

His birth father is the former king of Thebes, king Laius. His adoptive father is Polybus, king of Corinth.

9. Who killed the King of Thebes (the answer for #5)?

His son Oedipus.

10. What is Oedipus’ tragic flaw?

I would say pride and arrogance. He is smart yes but you could argue that if he were that smart he could have figured out what was going on.

11. As you read through Oedipus, you'll note that sight/vision/seeing (including "second sight") is very important to the overall story--in the literal as well as the metaphorical/symbolical aspect.  You don't have to do this in complete sentences if you don't want---12. Describe/discuss/explain/list how sight/vision/seeing/"second sight" is/are used in the play to advance the plot--to advance the story as a whole.  Include an explanation of why it's important as well as how it helps you (the real audience) understand (get) what others on the stage and in the play don't understand.

The concept of sight is very important in this play. There are many clues for the audience as to the importance of sight, real and secondary.

Oedipus was blind to whom he really was (Jocasta and Laius’ son, the “polluter of the land”), and that is why Tiresias tells Oedipus:

“Hear this, since you have thrown my blindness at me:

Your eyes can’t see the evil to which you’ve come,” (1.417)

The play also provides the audience with the difference between real sight and “secondary” sight. Tiresias is blind but he sees the truth; while Oedipus has sight but is blind to it. Oedipus tells Tiresias:

“This tricky beggar, who sees clearly only
For profit, but is blind when it comes to skill.
So tell me, when are you the wise seer?”(1.410)

Tiresias insists:

“Since you reproach me as blind: You, even though you
See clearly, do not see the scope of your evil,
Nor where you live, nor with whom you dwell.” (1.433)

Tiresias even goes as far as foretelling Oedipus’ fate of losing his sight:

"…Blind, who once could see,

A beggar who was rich, through foreign lands

He’ll go and point before him with a stick.” (1.459)

The presence of real sight is thrown at Tiresias (for he is blind) and at Oedipus for he has sight, and it is juxtaposed to secondary sight, since Oedipus is blind to his real identity, and the blind man knows who he is. Oedipus gauges his eyes out (hence he loses his sight and becomes blind) because of his symbolic blindness to his identity, hence he goes from having sight but being symbolically blind, to being blind but being symbolically able to see the truth. Jocasta is also blind to the truth and when she finds out she is married to her son she kills herself, which could be argued means she can’t see anymore. All these clues given in the play help the audience foretell and prepare for the tragic ending, providing that catharsisis looked for in tragedies by the Greek audiences.

13. As a play, there's a lot that can and cannot be done on the stage.  Explain why you think some things within this play in particular are done on stage while others are done off stage.

The theaters were big, and although the acoustics seem to have been of good quality, maybe placing the chorus or parados groups in various places helped with the distribution of ‘action’. The chorus also served as a model audience, maybe letting the audience know what was expected of them and to announce the scene was about to begin after the  intermission or stasimon.

Also, the special effects I can imagine were not great during 425 BCE, and portraying bad effects would take away from the play, so parts like Oedipus gauging his eyes out were told not shown.

14. Do you believe in fate?  Explain fully your answer.

Yes and no. I believe that some things are meant to happen but at the same time I believe we are the makers of our own destiny, or better phrased in charge of making what we want to happen happen. We are also responsible for our actions and decisions. So for example, there might be a person that is very smart and has the capability of doing great things but if that person puts no effort into actually accomplishing those great things, then fate cannot take the place of personal ownership and responsibility. Another issue is that of life circumstances and how they pre-mold a person’s life. To illustrate this point, a person born in an extreme poverty situation, with no financial or other means to get out of that situation, more than likely is fated to remain poor (very sad if you ask me).

15. Explain how fate plays a role in Oedipus.

No matter what the characters did to avoid what was phrophetizied to happen, it still happened. Jocasta and Laius sent their son to die at a mountainside but by doing so, not only did he not die, but he ended up not knowing who his birth parents were and then killing his dad and marrying his mom (which is unlikely to have happened if his parents had raised him). Fate was the determining factor in Oedipus.

16. Have you ever thought how ironic this play is? It's weird how the events come together and

 make everything happen the way it does. If things were to happen just a little bit different the story would be completely changed.

It is very ironic that if Jocasta and Laius had not heard the prophecy and hadn’t gotten rid of their son, then the prophecy probably wouldn’t had been fulfilled as Oedipus would have known who his parents were and wouldn’t had committed incest and patricide. Also, if Oedipus had listened to Tiresias and not insisted on knowing who the murderer was, he wouldn’t had learned the truth.

Extra: Name either one of the other two plays in the Oedipus Trilogy—punctuation count.

Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone.

Arsenic and Old Lace

First of all, define:  irony. 

Irony is the use of words, gestures, actions or other forms of communication, to state or convey the opposite of what the real message is. It is a juxtaposition or incongruence between the presented truth and literal truth.  

Secondly, list and briefly discuss as many examples if irony that you can find and/or remember in the movie. 

The title, Arsenic and Old Lace, is in itself an irony or juxtaposition, as arsenic is a corrosive and highly destructive chemical, whereas lace is soft, harmless (or so we thought).

The irony that was the most appealing to me was that of Mortimer being the author of various anti-marriage books, including   Marriage: Failure and Fraud, and yet he is getting married.

The Police showing up and being a ‘fixture’ pretty much at the house and not knowing what the aunts are up to or that there is a dead body in the window seat is another irony; just as the police being there when Jonathan is there (him being wanted by the police) and them not knowing it.  

Another funny irony is that the aunts bury the dead bodies in their cellar/house when they live next to a  cemetery. How funny is that! They have the perfect place for a dead body right next door.

The fact that Jonathan’s latest face looks like that of the acclaimed terror movie actor Boris Karloff, greatly hinting at his character and defeating the purpose of blending in and looking harmless.  Which takes me to another irony, the aunts don’t like scary/terror movies and yet they kill people.

Everybody sitting on the window seat when there is a dead body in it and not suspecting a thing is another constant irony in the movie.

Of particular humor is the irony of how Mortimer describes the murder scene of a movie, including the character’s lack of logic to see it develop under his nose, and how Jonathan is doing the exact same thing the scene’s murderer is described of doing and Mortimer is erring just like the murder victim he is describing.

I wonder about Oedipus The King

I understand that we live in a world of real-time information access and we have many ways to access it, including pictures, video, email, television, etc. However, as limited as the Greek’s information and access to images was in 425 BCE compared to now, I am sure that people had access to busts and other portrayals of images. Why then, did nobody, specially the people of Thebes (including Jocasta) notice the very possible resemblance between the late King Laius and Oedipus?

Furthermore, why did Oedipus refuse so stubbornly to see that he was king Laius’ murderer and son?  A man had already stated he was not King Polybus’ son, and Phoebus also tells him of the incest and patricide.  It seems like it took him long enough, even after he was revealed many details that could not be coincidences, such as Tiresias’ forewarning and statements: “ I say you are the murderer you seek.” line 367. He even chose to not believe after Jocasta described Laius (he must have known he fit the description of the man he killed) and described the location where he was killed. I mean really? Can there really be that maybe coincidences? Jocasta even described the group or entourage. You would have thought that all that information was enough to (excuse the pun) open Oedipus’ eyes. The messenger confirms he is adopted, and it is not through hearsay, as he himself delivered him as a child to King Polybus. Oedipus keeps asking for more and more proof, as if waiting for one piece of information to topple down the endless list of accusatory evidence.  Even when the shepherd is forced to tell of how he took King Laius’ son to the mountainside and gave him to a man (the messenger), Oedipus stills refuses to believe he is who/what Tiresias said. Can someone, even in fiction, be so renuent to see what is in front of his eyes? I wonder if the audience in 430 BCE really thought Oedipus did not see the truth until the end, or if they just took it for what it was worth in order to enjoy the play?

Another issue that nags me a little bit is that of how easy it was for Oedipus to attack and annihilate a King and his entourage. Where the men not armed? Did kings back then travel without any security components in place?

I personally feel that there are a few “loose” ends in the play, maybe because nowadays this situation would not be so easily duplicated, or maybe because the veracity of the plot or events was not as important as the themes themselves.

“To –(“Music, When Soft Voices Die”)” by Percy Bysshe Shelley

When I read “To –(“Music, When Soft Voices Die”)p. 644, I felt all warm and tingly inside. I absolutely love the concept or idea the speaker is trying to convey about love outliving life. I enjoyed the poem’s rhythm and the author’s choice of words. I also was very attracted to the flower imagery and symbolism.

I chose this poem to share because love is a universal theme and hopefully everybody has felt about somebody else what the speaker feels and conveys in the poem.

The concept of material things or actions being a way to show affection is present, but it is coupled with the concept of love being so much more than that.

I found a website that used music and video to convey the poem’s message: http://movingpoems.com/2011/01/music-when-soft-voices-die-by-percy-bysshe-shelley/

“On My First Daughter” by Ben Jonson

Jonson’s “On My First Daughter” p. 640 is a verbalized mourning. The poem engages me in it because of its delivered sadness. It is not however a cry of inconsolable grief as it offers the reader a plea of comfort and belief that the baby girl is in Heaven. I find this poem very soothing (even with the pain engraved in it) because it provides me with comfort that not only the baby has gone to Heaven but that others (including myself) don’t have death as the final destination.

 I hope others find the same feeling of comfort and need for God when they read this poem and that is why I decided to share it as one of the blogs.

After some research, I found an interesting piece of information. It seems that Ben Jonson was a rather crude, raucous and rough character. These personality traits or behavior (however you want to label it as) is not evidenced in the poem however. Instead, Jonson’s “On My First Daughter” utilizes a speaker, which I would venture to say is a biographical voice, that is compassionate, God abiding, and gentle. Just a contradiction to ponder about.   

The following website has more information about Jonson’s life: http://kamus3.homestead.com/jonson.html

"The Man He Killed", Thomas Hardy

Hardy’s “The Man He Killed” p. 637, strikes a chord with me. I find human life to be of infinite value and struggle with any intentional cessation of it. I felt bitterness and regret in the speaker’s tone (whether or not those emotions are there or I am just interposing my personal beliefs I don’t know). Hardy is definitely presenting a moral dilemma however, the irony of the speaker having killed someone that he could have called a friend if not under warfare conditions.

This irony is very valid and vivid, especially in the world’s current state of affairs. I know we all have different opinions and feelings about war, so this would be an interesting poem for us to discuss. A sub-issue that would be worth discussing is that of people enlisting in warfare professions because they have no other means to get income, as again this theme resonates today’s economy:

“Was out of work – had sold his traps –

     No other reason why.”

There is a website that supports this movement towards warfare employment due to economic hardship theory or statement: http://azstarnet.com/news/national/article_a8fbca8a-02df-5685-884a-20a57b1e9db3.html

            This poem has so much ethic and personal believes content, and it makes it a fertile ground for interpretation and discussion. Maybe this is the main reason I like it and want to share it with others.

“Stopping by Woods on a Snowny Evening”, Robert Frost

I enjoyed Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, p. 637 because on the surface, it seems to be a very simple poem about the beauty of the woods and of the snow. Reflecting on the poem’s surface message, I find it very appealing because nature is one of my favorite things in life. Furthermore, I had never seen snow till I moved here, which was 10 years ago; so snow is still a new thing for me as it doesn’t snow that often. I love to see snow fall and it sounds silly but it looks like a swarm of faeries to me (lol).

            On a deeper level, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” contains different themes, depending on how you want to see it. It can symbolize the need we all have to stop and smell the roses, but it can also have a darker emotion of death and desire to die.

            This possible double message contained in the poem makes it for me, a great piece to share with others and have a debate on which theme was Frost’s desired topic.

I do wonder who exactly the owner of the woods is. Is it God? Is it the way he wants to die? If anybody has an idea please share it with me.

“Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson talks about death in “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” p. 635. Many writers talk about death but most of the time it is with anger or defiance. This poem however, has a steady, cool demeanor about the “Carriage” ride referred to as dying in the poem. It has a very pleasant rhythm and rhyming sequence. I enjoyed reading this poem because it conveys a very mature and yet brave stance concerning death.

Death is a universal theme and issue. Everybody dies. The theme of death is what makes it a good poem for all of us, as we can all relate to it. We have all had somebody dear to us that has  “passed” away. We all have to face our mortality, and we all have our own understanding or ideas regarding “Immortality” in the form of “Eternity.”

Emily Dickinson wrote “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” when she was sixty years old.  She was residing with her family (no husband or children though) but was quite isolated from the outside world. This might explain why she alludes to the seasons of life including “Fields of Grazing Grain—“, which could be analyzed as the fruits of her life or even as children.  This poem seems particularly tied to her life experiences and her emotional/psychological self at that point in her life. If anybody is interested in learning more about her life, these websites are a good start: http://www.biographyonline.net/poets/emily_dickinson.html, http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/155

Poetry!

I have, as long as I can remember, always loved poetry.  My grandmother used to watch me quite often when I was a child and she would always recite poetry.  Till this day I can recite those same poems she used to (and still does) recite to me. In fact, I recite them to my daughter. So, you could say poetry feels like home to me; it reminds me of my childhood and of my family that is now far away.

But poetry is not just a reminder of childhood for me. I absolutely enjoy poetry. I like reading it and I like writing it. Poetry is an outward flow of feelings and opinions. It is a tangible piece of the author’s soul. When I read poetry, I can hear the author’s most personal feelings and thoughts. Yes, the author is communicating something to the reader, but also to themselves.  To write poetry, you have to be honest with yourself because if you don’t it sounds forced, dead, static.

Poetry is a conduit for passion, denouncement, sadness, joy, confusion, regret, anger, desire… It is your voice; an interactive monologue with the reader. The reader isn’t responding in the poem but is reacting when reading the poem. And because poems are the writer’s inner thoughts, the reader feels safe reacting to those thoughts.

Poetry to me is the most intimate and honest literary presence there is. I feel free to write what I really feel as a poem, and I feel free to react how I want to when I read poetry.

Least favorite story

My least favorite story was Carver’s “Neighbors”. I did not enjoy the theme, the characters or the language. Minimalism doesn’t really appeal to me as a reader. I like description, explicit emotional and  psychological information and narration.  

Minnie Foster

This story made me a little uncomfortable because it made me relieve a little bit of my past. I was in an abusive relationship. It wasn’t physical abuse; it was verbal and emotional abuse. I lost myself and became submissive in order to cope with the situation. After years of hell, I finally was able to break free. This story a sad reminder of how common abuse is and it completely it annihilates a person’s soul. For years I told nobody about what was going on, same as Minnie Foster. I just cringed throughout the whole story imagining what she went through.

Hints in "A Rose for Emily"

After I read Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”, I understood a lot of the imagery used. I decided to read it again in order to catch and enjoy all of the symbolisms and imagery that I missed the first time.

I was especially mystified with how Faulkner gives the reader many hints about what is actually happening, but the reader can’t understand the hints until the end. For example, there is a lot of allusion to death and dead bodies, mirroring what happens to Emily’s husband, including references to violence and bloating. These language clues are of no help what so ever the first time you read the story but it creates for a whole new dimension when you read it again.

Life Lesson

I used to be a little annoyed at high school classmates that seemed unable to follow instructions and or focus on work assigned and would seem to just not want to do their work. I was able to knock out any assignment given during class in less than the time allotted, and it would frustrate me when the teacher would extend the time because one student hadn’t finished the assignment. I truly thought that their ‘ADD’ excuse was just that, an excuse.

Now, quite ironically, I have ADD. I guess I always had it but it wasn’t as overpowering then as it is now. Before, I did have some issues with organization but they weren’t that bad, and I was always able to follow through with a task. Nowadays, it is hard for me to focus on one thing at a time, and I tend to struggle following through with a task. I now take medication on paperwork days to help me finish what I start.

I regret being so unfair with my judgment of those classmates that struggled with what is now my reality. I judged them without having all the information and for that I am very sorry.  This has helped me not be so quick in judging and making my own assumptions, there is always two sides of the story.

"Spirit of Perverseness"

The “spirit of perverseness” is to me a natural human affliction. Although I like the ‘rainbows and butterflies’ stance and would like to think that everybody is genuinely good, humans have very complex psychological and emotional tendencies and behaviors.  Sometimes the primal instinct, which biologically is located in the hypothalamus/thalamus are, also referred to as the primal brain, surfaces and takes over reason and logic. Incidentally, one social-emotional issue that is present in humans, but not animals, is that we as people tend to lash out or act out at people that we most feel comfortable with, those with whom we have a secure attachment, because it is ‘safe’ to do so versus lashing out at strangers. We as social beings, depend on the ones with whom we have developed a secure attachment or bond, not just to express love but also anger. We expect and assume to be forgiven by those close to us because of that relationship we have with them. This isn’t necessarily a conscious choice; most of us don’t act with our loved ones because they are just that, our loved ones.  I think we do it because it is a safe ‘place’ to show anger, aggression and otherwise socially inappropriate behaviors.  

Now as an adult, I look back and regret I lot of things I said to my mom when I was a teenager. The incident that mortifies me the most I can’t bring myself to discuss it with her still.

My parents got divorced when I was about 9 years old. I was not angry or upset about it at all, in fact, I was kinda relieved. I thought they were absolutely insufferable when they were in the same room: my mom would bicker and nag constantly and my dad would immerse himself in a fuming silence. My mom however was not happy about the divorce and would constantly bash my dad and accuse him of cheating or what not. Frankly, I didn’t care if he had cheated or not, in my head it didn’t affect my relationship with him in any way, he was still my dad and what happened in the marriage did not (or should not) have anything to do with me.

After a few months my dad remarried. All throughout this whole process, my mom had not stopped harassing me about my dad remarrying and what not. One day my mom and I were arguing about her bashing and insulting my dad in front of my sister and me. I swear I do not know what came over me because I normally would just walk away from the arguments, but that day I just looked her in the eye and said: “ Well I am very happy for him because he has what he has always wanted: a good wife.” My mom’s heart broke and I heard the pieces crash to the ground. That was absolutely horrible of me to say and it was overly cruel and uncalled for; I just couldn’t stop myself. I could hear myself talking and I knew it was wrong but I couldn’t stop. The worst part is that it felt good to say it and see how I had hurt her. It is a horrible, horrible feeling and I hope I never succumb under the ‘spirit of perverseness” again.

"The Curse" Assignment

I am a home visitor. My job is to educate parents in different areas including child learning and development (including responsive teaching strategies that promote child learning, social-emotional growth and development, etc.), nutrition, health, medical support, resource mapping and capacity building. I serve up to 12 children and their families, and I go to their homes once a week for an hour and a half. Before that, I was the agency’s interpreter, and supported the home visitors and the Spanish speaking families served by them.

A while back, there was a particular family that I supported. This family was very impoverished and has access to very few resources because of their immigration status. They, like all undocumented immigrants in the U.S., had no access to health and human services such as food stamps, Medicaid, Work First, unemployment benefits, etc. This family consisted of the mom, the dad, a 9 month old, a two year old and a 10 year old. They barely could make ends meet and did not have enough food, clothes, furniture or access to medical care. I was somewhat aware of the situation after the first home visit, but as time went by and I went to their home every week, the mom shared more and more about their situation, including not having enough food for the children, leave alone her and her husband. I felt that their situation was dire and started taking them food, clothing and any other stuff that I could get my hands on, including a couch.

Time went by and I was still supplying the family with necessities. I felt responsible for that family and specially wanted to make sure the children had enough food and appropriate clothing, especially during winter. I was exhausted mentally, physically and financially. Then I started noticing that the family was really not as bad off as they were making it out to me. They had a fairly big, nice and modern TV couple with a sound system, they went to Chucke Cheese every weekend, and got a car. I started resenting the family for abusing of my kindness. There I was, a single mom, shopping at thrift stores for my child and myself, budgeting everything, no luxuries like cable, using the same cell phone that I had gotten six years ago and never engaging in social or recreational activities that required spending money. Then it dawned on me. This was my own fault. I had trained them to depend on me for necessities and hence they simply expected me to fulfill the role of provider.

          I talked to the family and explained that I could no longer help them and that I was proud of them for being able to provide for themselves on their own. I have never made the mistake of assuming a provider role for another family after that; don’t get me wrong I still help whoever and however I can but no longer take it on as my responsibility.   

"Lucky" Break

In high school, as an International Baccalaureate requirement, students had to write a thesis. Students were expected to turn in the final thesis on a certain date after having to turn in the beginning portions of it, including topic, argument and sources at different deadlines. I had chosen to discuss existentialism and its effect on Latin American Literature.  I hadn’t really had time to finish my thesis and one day before the deadline for the finished product I had yet to even come remotely close to calling it a finished product. I had been working on other projects, including the cases for Economics and Literary analysis for English and Spanish.  We were granted use of the computers in the school library for our thesis and most of us had used that resource at some point in time.

The deadline came and I went to school knowing that I would be in a lot of trouble. I hadn’t been able to sleep the night before trying to come up with a good excuse and good arguments to convince my thesis supervisor to grant me more time. I was a nervous wreck and on the verge of tears and to top it off I was late. As I was walking through the classroom door, trying to decide if I should just tell my home room teacher (who just happened to be my thesis supervisor) immediately or wait till he asked for the thesis, he announced that he was aware that the library computers had crashed and all the saved documents had been lost. I just stopped in my tracks, and just stood there in the middle of the classroom. He then proceeded to say that all the thesis supervisors had met last evening and decided to allow an extra week for students to turn in their thesis because of the crashed computer system and to allow the students to rewrite what they had lost.

The pressure and stress buildup for me reached its boiling point and I just began to cry, and I mean cry, right there in the middle of the classroom, everybody looking at me. I didn’t say a word, my thesis, or really the beginnings of my thesis were safely saved in my own computer at home, not in the library’s crashed system.  Mr. Wallace, my homeroom teacher and thesis supervisor approached me immediately and told me it would be ok and that if I needed more than a week to rewrite my thesis he would work with me. I said nothing, just cried and softly nodded my head, understanding that he assumed I was crying because of all my lost hard work. I said nothing to convince him otherwise. I let him assume what he wanted to believe. I did not really discuss anything about the incident or the thesis because I didn’t want to blatantly lie.

That weekend however, and the week that followed, I worked non-stop on my thesis and even added more to it, possibly fueled by guilt of my omission. I did finish it in time and I turned it in on the new established deadline. I never said a word to anybody, even to classmates or friends. I took it as a “break” or second chance. Mind you though, I did not use the library’s computers ever again, just in case karma wanted some payback.

"Blue Winds Dancing" by Tom Whitecloud, Assignment

Sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed by all the responsibilities and things that need to be done. I feel like I can’t slow down and get taken over by the chaotic weight of tasks that are not yet finished. I value peace but I sometimes struggle with finding the time to stop and smell the roses. One of the experiences that helps me wind down and convey inner peace and quiet is the ocean.

            On one particular trip to the beach, the ocean completely changed my perspective about my place in this big world. On that occasion, the beach was nearly deserted, as a tropical storm was approaching the Costa Rican coast; close enough to scare people from the beaches, but far enough away that there was no real danger. 

            As I approached the ocean, the stillness of the water drew me in. I climbed up a small reef on the shore and stood there, drinking the immensity of the sea, and the perfect illusion of an infinite horizon. The tornado of blue and green hues that melted together in the water, created a seamless mirror of power. A power that overtook my sense of self, making me quiver with respect and awe. I could smell the salty essence of the surroundings, and hear the prophetic call of the pelicans. Nothing else existed, nothing mattered, except the presence of this titan. The vastness engulfed me in a serenity cloak, and made me feel at absolute peace; peace with myself, and peace with everything and everyone that could possibly exist on this earth.

            I must have been standing there for a while, because all of a sudden, I noticed the wind’s firm singing around me, like nymphs casting their mythical breath. A moist and magnanimous force that thrashed and swayed everything in it’s path. The tranquility of the ocean was gone, and instead, the water crashed against itself, creating endless runaway currents, mirroring man’s existentialist nature. The blue hugeness of the horizon, was now a veil of turbulent darkness, preparing to swallow any bird that dare thread in his territory. My wonderment was un-waivered. The rhythm of my heart, depicted the trickle of trepidation that such entity bestowed on my soul. The turmoil that resulted from such contrasting opposites, sea and sky, reinforced the powerful spell that the ocean had cast on me that day.

            Almost as before, the ocean’s mood change, crept up on me, as I suddenly realized that all was calm again. The horizon spread it’s wings as far as the end of the world, and the ocean, was once more a fervent source of quietude. It sentenced me to a willing desire to bathe in reflection, and without a fight, I gave into a guided meditation, in which I focused on my inner thoughts. I felt so minute compared to such a giant. I suddenly felt I little selfish, and blushed. The warm, gentle breeze, caressed my cheeks: a permissive forgiveness had just been bestowed on me. 

            I had to go soon, it was getting late. I took a deep breathe, trying to inhale as much of that grandeur and peace as I possibly could. The horizon was titillating  with gold, amethysts, sapphires and rubies; like the crown of a proud monarch, who sits quietly and reigns through admiration and esteem. The ocean was saturated with eternity and grace; like the laughter of an infant, pure and sincere. I no longer felt the center of the world, but more so an appreciative member of it. That day, the ocean changed my perspective about who I was, and what I wanted from life.

Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" and Susan Glaspell's "A Jury of Her Peers"

In Susan Glaspell’s “A  Jury of Her Peers”, the marriage of Martha and Lewis Hale is touched upon but not overly described. Martha Hale is a strong, smart woman who knows and cares about her husband. She reads his cues and knows his faults. Lewis Hale is a farmer. He is not very educated (as evidenced by his speech), he can get things mixed up, can be a little awkward and is quite chauvinistic:  “women are used to worrying over trifles.”p. 193 The marriage seems to be OK but I feel like she is not overly happy and resents the belittling and chauvinism that her husband personifies.  

Kate Chopin on the other hand, is very clear about how Mrs. Mallard feels about her marriage to Mr. Mallard. She is described as been smart and willful; and he is implied to love her. He is indirectly described as been controlling.

In both stories, the sense of being forced to be something they are not, and do not wish to be, is bestowed upon the women by their husbands. Mrs. Mallard is actually joyful that her husband seems to have died, and that she can now be herself and do what she wants to do. Such option is not present in “A Jury of Her Peers” for Mrs. Hale, but her strength and willingness to speak up and act convey to me the idea that she feels constrained and forced to follow expectations thrusted by her husband and society.

I actually struggled with both stories because I was in a verbally and mentally abusive relationship for many years, and know exactly how pretty much all the women form both stories feel. I like to think that I am a willful and strong person, and I am not scared to speak my mind. These traits however did not protect me from getting into an abusive relationship and certainly didn’t help me during its duration. In fact, I receded into a completely submissive, lonely and hopeless state. I am out of that relationship, thank God! But I personally can identify with feeling controlled, asphyxiated and having to conform.

Carver's Neighbors

Minimalism is a technique or style used by artists, including writers and musicians that encompasses using the least amount of detail and information to create a more dramatic effect or impact. It allows the reader to imagine what the characters are thinking or feeling.

Carver provides the reader with very to the point information in Neighbors. There are not many adjectives or in-depth descriptions of things or events. The story is sequenced in an exact chronological order, and it tells of simple, mundane, everyday things like “folding the handmade tablecloth…”p. 137. In the story, actions are stated, not elaborated on or adorned by anything: “He unfastened his belt.”p. 138

Carver does not dwell on psychological or emotional description; instead he merely uses a matter of fact narration of visible events.  

Faulkner's A Rose for Emily

Word: spire

The word spire, according to Dictionary.com can be a noun or a verb. As a noun, it signifies:

1. a tall, acutely pointed pyramidal roof or roof-like construction upon a tower, roof, etc.

2. a similar construction forming the upper part of a steeple.

3. a tapering, pointed part of something; a tall, sharp-pointed summit, peak,

4. the highest point or summit of something: the spire of a hill; the spire of one's profession.

5. a sprout or shoot of a plant, as an acrospire of grain or a blade or spear of grass.

Used as a verb the meaning given is:

to shoot or rise into spirelike form; rise or extend to a height in the manner of a spire.

On page 89, Faulkner states that Miss Emily’s house is “…decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies…” The word spire, for me, exemplifies what Emily Grierson was, a show of “tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town.” Miss Emily is like a spire, an ornament that is used to achieve height but has no real value or importance in terms of the building’s structure.  Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily is charged with oppositional concepts, including Miss Emily’s view of herself and how others view her, as well as what her status was when her father was alive and what it changes to afterward, financially and socially speaking. Faulkner provides various validation statements throughout the story of this conflict:  “The Grierson’s held themselves a little too high for what they really were.”p.91, “She carried her head high enough…”p.92. In fact, the word spire is contrasted with words like “…encroached…”p. 89, “…decay…”p.89, and  “…eyesore among eyesores.”p. 89.

I believe Faulkner intentionally chose to use the word “spire” because it alludes to elegance, class and stature, which is how Miss Emily views herself. The audience then is invited to view her as such by following the language, even though, as the story progresses, the view changes dramatically.