opening

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.

6 quotes

"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.

The Wild Duck Compariosn

The Wild Duck compared to Oedipus.

Sophocales was a greek playwright, his style of writing is much different than Ibsen. In the Wild Duck Ibsen's original romanticism background truly shows through, especially when hjalmar is talking to or about Hedvig, often both have "tears in their eyes" or Hedvig is "throwing her arms" around Hjalmar. This is a definate contrast to Sophacles who has very bland emotions for his characters, generally greek theater chooses to have a character remain in one or maybe to emotions throughout the play. Ibsen also chooses to have a description of the character's actions while they are speaking, this could show the conformity of society to react certain ways in specific situations, where in early society, like Grecian society, natural reaction where all they knew. Both authors choose to keep a bit of mystery through the play, Sophocales with his prophacy, and Ibsen hiding small details, like the wild duck, from the reader. But, Sophocales often exposes these mysteries to the audience before the characters know, in Ibsen's writing we find out when the characters do. The characters are also more thorougly described, or even pin pointed for their appearance in The Wild Duck, with such characters as "the thin-haired guest". In Oedipus the character's appearances are hardly depicted. This could be that Grecian plays focused solely on teaching a lesson and having a moral. But, as theater developed, the character's also become an intruige for the play, and their different appearances begin to mean different things through society. Both plays focus on power, scandal, as well as blindness, and secrets.

Oedipus

What is the most relevant idea or theme conveyed through Oedipus' speech about his daughters?

Oedipus

What would have been the best thing for Oedipus to do onve he learned his destiny, do you beliee fleeing was part of his destiny or would it have come true anyway? What is the author trying to reveal about destiny?

Journal 3

First Class: (Eatonville, Janie & Jody) "Take for instance that new house of his. It had two stories with porches, with bannisters and such things. The rest of the town looked like servants' quarters surrounding the "big house"" (p. 47) All the people are black, but they still have classes between them. Shows conflict among the people.
"Janie soon began to feel the impact of awe and envy against her sensiblities. The wife of the mayor was not just another woman....she ccouldn't get but so close to mjost of them in spirit." (p. 46) Janie is from a lower class, just like the rest of Eatonville, but because of the man she is with it has divided her from the rest of the people. also division in the race.
""worser'n dat. De womenfolks got yo' mile. when ah come round de lake 'bout noontime mah wife and some others had 'im flat on de ground usin' his sides fuh uh wash board." (p. 52) It's degrating for even the mule to be with the women. the men are also teasing matt.
"She was there in the store for him to look at, not those others." (p. 55) shows that janie is the possesion of Jody. Hurston shows her oppostion to this because Jody dies, and Janie easily, and happily moves on from him.


Middle Class:(Janie & Logan)

The idea of an independant woman is expressed because janie leaves Logan
"Considerin' youse born in a carriage 'thout no top to it, and yo' mama and you bein' born and raised in de white folks back-yard." Logan is bitter because someone who was a lower class than him got to be with the "white folks" (p. 30)
"mah mamma didn't tell me ah wuz born in no hurry. so whut business Ah got rushin' now? Anyhow day ain't whut youse mad about youse mad 'cause Ah don't fall down and wash-up dese dixty acres uh ground yuh got. You ain't done me no favor by marryin' me. And if dat's what you call yo'self doin', Ah don't thank tuh for it. Youse mad 'cause Ah'm tellin' yuh whut you already knowed." (p. 31) She's defending herself against a different "class", men. Even though Logan has land it doesn't make Janie happy, conflict among the class.

Lower Class: (Tea Cake)

She liked Tea Cake the most because he treated her the most equally.

"Sometimes Janie would think of the old days in the big white house and the store and laught to herself. What if Eatonville could see her now in her blue denim overalls and heavy shoes? The crowd of people around her and a dice game on her floor! she was sorry for her friends back there and scornful of the others. The men held big arguments here like they used to do pon the store porch. Only here, she could listen and laugh and even talk some herself if she wanted to. She got so she could tell big stoies herself from listening to the rest." (p. 134) evdience for her disdain for Eatonville because she wasn't treated equally.
"He drifted off into sleep and Janie looked down on him and felt a salf-crushing love. So her sould crawled out from its hiding place" (p. 128) Janie was so oppressed by her other husbands that she couldn't open up, and tea cake treats her equally so she can.
"Looka heah, Tea Cake, if you ever go of from me and have a good time lak dat and then come back heah tellin' me how nice Ah is, Ah specks tuh kill yuh dead. You heah me?" she wants to do the same things he does.

She moves through men until she finds one that will treat her equally, tea cake lets her work like a man, and play cards like a man.
Hurston shows her feminism through the discussions of men and women, when men talk about the women it is almost always negatively, revealing the mens "true" negative nature. The woman are all submissive to their husbands.
Their Eyes Were Watching God, God is said to treat everyone equally.

Journal 2

By showing that all social classes have problems, it demonstrates the idea of equality among the classes, and also shows the need for social equality, one of the main points of second-wave feminism.

Allover:
"Janie spent most of her day under a blossoming pear tree in the back-yard...That was to say ever since the first bloom had opened...It called her to come and gaze on a mystery." (p. 10) each blossom represents each person in society, though slightly different we are all part of the bigger "tree", showing that Hurston's feminism. It also talks about "From barren brown stems to glistening leafs-buds; from leaf-buds to snowy virginity of bloom." represents growth of a person, further evidence.

Woman's class: (second wave feminists believe that woman were considered a seperate class)
Janie & Her grandmother & Janie by herself & Women of Eatonville

• "now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget... They act and do things accordingly." (p. 1) Woman, opposite to men, have control of their minds, but must follow a certain protocol.
• "Seeing the woman as she was made them remember the enby they had stored up from other times." (p. 2) demonstrates tension between the women.

Man's classs: (in contrast to woman's)

1. "Ships at a distance have ever man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men" (p. 1) Men don't have a hold of their dreams, they are carried by others, "never landing until the watcher turn his eyes away". Men are not in control of their own lives.

Racial Equality:

"Ah was wid dem white chillun so much till Ah didn't know ah wuzn't white till ah was round six years old. " (p. 8)

"Mayrella useter it mad every time she look at me. Mis' Washburn useter dress me up in all de clothes her gran'chillun didn't need no mo' which still wuz better'n whut de rest uh de colored chillun had...she would pick at me all de time" (p. 9) demonstrates racial equality and is a good example for conflict among the classes, racial and women.

Oedipus creative

Informal essay on the topic: to journey.
People take "journeys" figuratively and literally. A figurative journey could be emomtional happenings that cultivate a person. A literally journey is to travel somewhere. Either way a journey repesents something that takes you to a different place than where you began. A family death could be an example of an emotional jouney, when a person dies you often wonder "why did they have to die? why now? couldn't it be me instead?", as you begin to face the of death, that everyone dies, death is a natural part of life, you often to come to a different conclusion about death than when the person first died. A literal journey can also be an emotional journey, if you travel to a place with different cultures, standards, forms of religion, food, ethinic groups, and traditions, you often question your own way of life and whether or not it is the life you are supposed to or want to be living. It is possible that these questions result in a complete change in personality and behavior, changing you from the person you where at home. In all journey's figuratively or literally, something new is always learned, or experienced, if you're taking a hike maybe you learn that you need to wear better shoes next time, or that a certain plant is poisonous. In Oedipus the Kind, Oedipus journeys from Corinth to Thebes, but he originally was in Thebes, so he was brought back to where he began. He grew up from the time he left, not only physically, but emotionally. In books, novels, and plays, all characters must journey, they set themselves, or are forcefully set into an unknown environment. Journey's are something people do everyday, whether large or small they happen, and they are used in literature to show the cultivation of a character.

oedipus literary topics

sophocales uses a repeated motif of blindness and death as well as the god's. "It was Apollo, friends, Apollo, who brought to fulfillment all my sufferings. But the hand that struck my eyes was mine and mine alone. What use had I for eyes? Nothing I could see would bring me joy." This passages reveals all the motifs, mentioning Apollo, blindness, and his "sufferings" which are the death of his father and sleeping with his mother. This is a good reason that sophocales would include blindness in this piece because it is a form of punishment. Blindness also shows a disconnection from the world around you, as well as a seperation from most other people. The motif of death is used quite often, especially in tragedies. Death could be used to help the reader connect to the play, to bring emotional appeal, especially because death was very common at this time as disease was rampant. The motif of God's was most likely used because the God's were very important in greecian culture, this play was performed at a festival for the God Oedipus to honor him, by putting the God's in his literary work Sophocales honored them. The God's always had some representational meaning, so the different things that the God's represent could mean different things throughout the story.

oedipus comparison

oedipus in comparison to shakepearean tragedies.

sophocales and shakespeare both use foreshadowing in their plays. usually these aren't realised until after the story is finished, but i know the ending. oedipus becomes blind after he sleeps with his mother and kills his father. one example of this is in a line read by tiresias, "...but you, who have eyes, cannot see the evil in which you stand: you cannot see where you are living, not with whom you share your house." tiresias himself could also be a symbolic foreshadowing, he is blind and is seen as a traitor to thebes because he was there when laius was killed, as oedipus betrays his family. tragedies also include romance, from both authors, some of shakepeare's most notable plays are romantics. the character jocasta is introduced, she is oedipus's wife, and creon's sister. this also creates conflict among families because oedipus becomes suspicious of creaon's intentions, which is also similiar among both authors. in shakespeare's plays the chorus is usually used to show the audience something the character's don't know. sophocales uses the chorus to give advice to the characters, they could be a symbol of the character's conscience. religion is also a motif for shakespeare, sohpocales refers to the greek god's quite frequently. in today's society the "gods" would probably be a symbol of an aspect of the character's personality that could be missing.

Oedipus creative

Clarifications:
antigone: daughter of oedipus and his mother, disobeyed him & condemned to death
dole: payment
"stern visaged queens": the goddesses
"shall thou round thy weary life/A blessing to the land wherein thy dwell'st/But to the land that cast the forth, a curse": the land he is in now is blessed, but going further it will be cursed

Journal:

"Overcome -- O bitter sweetness,
Inhabitant of the soft cheek of a girl --
The rich man and his affairs,
The fat flocks and the fields' fatness,
Mariners, rough harvesters;
Overcome Gods upon Parnassus;

Overcome the Empyrean; hurl
Heaven and Earth out of their places,
That in the Same calamity
Brother and brother, friend and friend,
Family and family,
City and city may contend,
By that great glory driven wild.


This is a passage from Antigone the third part of the theban trilogies. Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus by way of his mother. He is seen as cursed because of what he did. She will eventually be executed for disobeying him. The first stanza commands her to over come, things are then listed that are opposite, like bittersweet, the rich man and his affairs. This could mean that she is torn between two choices. the second stanza mentions the "Empyrean" this is the highest level of heaven and is where the gods hold the strongest fires. she has large things to overcome and she should shake things up a little bit, make her statement. All things will pride her for being so courageous.

I'm not sure the context of this passage, but if it is interpreted correctly then it reveals that Antigone, who is now her father's guide, will become torn between two issues, and she must fight for them. This reveals a little more about Antigon, and also reveals some foreshadowing, "If time can teach, I need not to be told." It also makes me wonder what will tear her from her father, because right now they are very close.

Journal 1

Their Eyes Were Watching God in relation to second wave feminism.

• first wave focused on legal issues
• second wave focused more closely on social issues
• was a delayed response to 1940s post-world war 2 era
• suburbia, baby boom, expansion of capitalism, women were expected to work at home
• TEEWG published in 1937
• the second sex by simone de beauvior, kicked off american second wave feminism, she believed that woman were "the other" sex in society. that woman is not a gender, but sex, one becomes a woman.
• fought for reproductive rights
• wanted equality among the classes
• racial equality

Social classes: her change from Grandma, to Logan to Jody to Tea-Cake also shows her transition among the classes. Her first with her grandma was lower class, but also of women, shows development of "woman", she is resistant to Logan's commanding ways because she didn't grow up around men and didn't become the typical woman. Logan is middle class. Jody is upper class. Tea-Cake is lower class.

Racial equality: white children she played with. woman who was black but wanted to be white. they all worked for white people.