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I believe that Zora Neale Hurston was a feminist born before her time. When she was growing up feminists were fighting for education, employment, and marriage laws#. The next generation of feminists, the “second-waves” fought for equality of the social classes, races, and sexes.# Though this “wave” was not fully developed until the 1960’s, Hurston expressed the same ideals. Hurston reveals these ideals in Their Eyes Were Watching God through Janie’s numerous relationships with men. Janie has multiple husbands, which was not an acceptable during this time, she moves through men until she finds one that treats her equally. The idea of equality of class and sex is often combined, while the equality of race is often set in another part.

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"HEDVIG: No, the hens have got lots of other friends there, that they were chickens with; but it has comeright away from all its friends, poor thing. It is all so mysterious about the wild du
ck. It hasn't any friends - and no one knows where it came from either.
GREGERS: And then it has been down to the ocean's depths." (p. 166)
"GREGERS: And, besides, if I am to go on living, I must do something to cure my sick conscience.
WERLE: You will never cure it. Your conscience has been sickly from childhood. It is ah inheritance from your mother, Gregers, the only one thing she did leave you." (p.127)
"HJALMAR: It is done, I have passed through the most bitter moment in my life.
[...]
GREGERS: After such a momentous enlightenment - an enlightenment that is to be the starting point of a completely new existence - a real companionship founded on truth and purged of all falsehood." (p. 134)
"GREGERS: But now suppose you sacraficed the wild duck, of your own free will, for his sake." (p.146)
"BRIDE
I must be mad! I do not want
To share your bed or your food,
But every minute of the day
I long to be with you.
You pull me , and I go along,
And then you push me back.
And helplessly I follow you
Like straw blown on the wind.
I've left a good and honest man,
His family, His house,
In the middle of a wedding,
Still wearing my bridal crown!
But you are the one they will punish,
And I don't want that to be.
Leave me alone! Escape!
No one can help you now." (p. 91)

"BRIDE
Stop it! Stop it! Take your revenge on me! Here I am! See how soft my kneck is? it will be easier than cutting a dahlia from your garden. But, that, no! As honorable as a honorable new born child! And strong enough to prove it to you! Light the fire! We'll put our hands in it-you for your son; me for my body! You'll take yours out first." (p.102)

Blood Wedding Journal ABSENT.

Both the writers of Blood Wedding and The Wild Duck earned my trust. In The Wild Duck, the writer uses dramatic irony, this gives the reader the experience of being a part of the story, instead of just someone on the sidelines. The dramatic irony provides the reader with a feeling of secrecy, wishing they could share it with the characters in the story. The writer also builds my trust through Hedvig and Hjalmar's relationship, this relationship is very emotional, for me it made the story seem more relatable, as well as making the story universal. Not all people are going to know what high class dinners are like and Ibsen does a good job of cover all the possible audiences. He uses the higher classes, Mr. Werle. The lower, working class, Hjalmar and Gina. He also presents an older man through the grandfather, and a dreamer of Hedvig. The thing that also drew me in were the conversations that we meant to be kept private, there were many of them in this play, letting the audience see them gives them a personal connection to the characters. Ibsen also represents a wide range of emotions through the play, love, lust, anger, betrayal, happiness, longing.
In Blood Wedding Lorca connects to the reader in smaller ways. He does not suddenly reveal things, but merely hints at them, leading things to the audiences imagination. The writer also creates a wonderful sense of emotion throughout the play, all of the characters seem to constantly be in vivid moods. Whether it is the Mother's loss over her husband and son, the Bridegroom's excitement over his soon-to-be wife. The Bride's lust for Leonardo, and her despair over loosing both him and her husband. All of the characters are very descript, but through dialogue, not through sidenotes in the script. Ibsen also chooses to cover a wide range of people in his story, those suffering, those in love, those that are hard-working.

Blood Wedding Journal ABSENT

Lorca uses foreshadowing very well in The Blood Wedding to tell of her sons approaching death. In the beginning of the play we hear her talk about her already dead son and husband, and how she doesn't want her other son carrying a knife, because that is how they both died, and in the end he is stabbed. It is also mentioned, but not specifically that either Leonardo, or someone in his family, killed them. Then we learn that there is a mixing of the families when the Bridegroom marries Leonardo's wife's cousin. There is also foreshadowing in the ryhmes the Wife and Mother-In-Law speak to the child.
"Go to sleep, my rose
The horse begins to cry.
His wounded hooves,
His frozen mane,
And in his eyes
A silver dagger.
They went to the river,
Down to the river!
The blood was flowing
Stronger than water."
When Leonardo and the Bridegroom confront eachother it is at night and they are near a river. The Bridegroom has been riding on horseback, but Leonardo is also familiar with horseback, and is often associated with it. Roses are seen as symbol of love and beauty, but in Roman times roses where put places to keep secrets. This could mean the secret of Leonardo and the Bride's relationship, or the secret to the audience of the impending deaths. As said before the Bridegroom approached the seen on horse back, so the horse becomes startled when the fight begins. "the silver dagger" is a symbol for the knife. Then "blood was flowing" and the men were dead.

Wild Duck Journal ABSENT

Both the Wild Duck and Blood Wedding have a theme of a woman's betrayal. In Blood Wedding the bride leaves the bridegroom for Leonardo. Before the Bride and Bridegroom's wedding the Bride and Leonardo were engaged, then seperated. This relationship causes the ultimate destruction of the Bride's relationship's, and the self-sacrafising of the two men who love her. In the Wild Duck Gina has betrayed Hjalmar by lying about her past with Mr. Werle, this leads to the Hjalmar's suspiscion that Hedvig is not his, and the downfall of Hjalmar and Gina's relationship. Because of this Hedvig sacrafices herself so her father will be happy. Both of these plays state that women cause catastrophy by being untrue to themselves and the ones around them. This creates a theme of truth to build of off. In Blood Wedding the theme of truth isn't as evident, but it does appear, mostly when Leonardo and the Bride are speaking, eventually the Bride comes to the conclusion that she will truly listen to her heart and stop lying to herself about what she wants. The Bride often lies to others about her feelings as well, including the Bridegroom and the Maid. In the Wild Duck truth is the driving point of the conflict of the play. Greggers feels that he must reveal the truth in order to give Hjalmar and Gina a happy marriage. Hjalmar's father fell because of lies, and the whole ordeal might not have happened if he hadn't been lied to. Both plays express the idea that "honesty is the best policy"

The Wild Duck

blindness: Hedvig vs. Oedipus vs. Werle

In The Wild Duck blindness was used in opposition to the way it was used in Oedipus. Oedipus punished himself by becoming blind, but it was through Hedvig and Werle's blindness that Hjalmar felt pain. Blindness is by definition: "The condition of being blind; unable to see; Want of intellectual or moral discernment; mental darkness; ignorance, heedlessness; concealment." But is also defined as: not based on reason or evidence; "blind hatred"; "blind faith"; "unreasoning panic". Both of these defintions fit the literal and metaphoric definition of blindness in both plays. Oedipus wants to become blind because he feels he should not be allowed to see the things that made him happy anymore because he has done so many bad things. Both Hedvig and Werle are becoming blind because of genetics. Both could be considered the interception of fate. If Oedipus had never learned that he killed his father and slept with his mother, he never would have wound up blind. And, Hedvig and Werle's similar blindess caused Hjalmar to leave, and believe that his child didn't love him, eventually ending in Hedvig's death. I think that blindness adds to the story because it shows a weakness in the people who do have power, both Oedipus and Werle are very highly thought of and seem to be strong men, but they're blindness makes people think less of them. I also think there is a connection between male blindness, the fact that Hedvig is becoming blind is of concern to her family, only because it hurts her and she will not be able to enjoy life as she normally would. For both Oedipus and Werle, their blindness becomes tragic. Could this be that woman are already seen as blind, "ignorance" and "heedlessness". In both societies woman were not looked highly upon, and this could be expressed through the image of blindness.

The Wild Duck Creative

(HJALMAR has just returned from a business trip, he has been gone for about a week and looks very perplexed and disgruntled. HEDVIG is waiting in the studio for her father to return, she is reading on the sofa. GINA is in the bedroom, she is contemplating over GREGGERS stay in their spare bedroom, wondering his intent. HJALMAR is seen walking up to his front door, he is wearing a large coat and a hat and is carrying a breif case. When HEDVIG hears a start at the door she sets down her book, runs to the door and greats her father.)
HEDVIG: Father, I've missed you so. (throwing her arms around him) You've been gone for much to long.
HJALMAR: Oh dear daughter, I've missed you as well, I promise we will spend the most wonderful time together, tomorrow we shall have lunch. Then, we will occupy ourselves with the wild duck. Do not cry, are you sad as all that.
HEDVIG: It was just that, as you were gone, I had an awful dream that you were in God's grace. I dreamed that I could not longer hug you, or smell you, or listen to you speak.
HJALMAR: Hedvig, do not let dreams perplex you, for you I will always be here (HJALMAR kisses HEDVIG on the forehead) Now, go and grab your father a beer. (HEDVIG goes into the kitchen and GINA enters the studio)
GINA: Hjalmar! Have you just come in or have you been avoiding my acquaitance for some time?
HJALMAR: No, my wife, I have been home not even five minutes.
GINA: You have just come home and already you look distressed. What is it that perplexes you?
HJALMAR: Our daughter, she has been having morbid dreams about my life, I wonder if they might mean something.
GINA: I'm sure they are nothing more then the confusion of dreams.
(HEDVIG enters the studio carrying a bottle of beer)
HJALMAR: (whispering) let's not speak of this much more in her presence, I am afraid it will upset her further.