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.