Oedipus Journal #5

Sophocles evokes fear and pity from the audience throughout the whole play. At the beginning the rage of Oedipus after he is accused by Tiresias of murdering Laius makes us fear what Oedipus is going to do. Also since the audience knows the result of the play, they feel pity for Oedipus because of the tragic truth of the situation. When Oedipus begins to accuse of Creon of treason and wants to execute him, is the climax of fear in the audience. When Oedipus finally realizes the truth and his whole life comes crashing down, pity reaches its highest point. This makes the audience feel a connection with the play. If the audience saw no emotional value in the play it would not be tragic.

Oedipus #4

Oedipus Journal #3

The woman, Jocasta, in the play just goes along with whatever is told to her. She basically sides with Creon, then when Creon leaves, she sides with Oedipus. This is kind of a warning to woman. She takes everything involving her men for granted, and never claims her own point of view. Contrasting with this, Creon and Oedipus are both extremely self-conscious and defensive. Oedipus threatens to kill Creon on a thought that has absolutely no proof. Creon is able to defend himself in a rational manner. The men expect the women to agree with them, as if her own opinion is of small significance.

Oedipus Journal #2

Oedipus seems like a deficient leader. He is paranoid and unwilling to hear other people's statements. At the beginning Oedipus seemed like a noble leader. But as the reading progresses it seems that he is losing his good qualities to anger and pride. I think that he has a quick temper which lead to much bad decisions on his part. Creon seems like an honest man. He speaks very rationally. Tiresias, although he is speaking the truth, seems like he enjoys taunting Oedipus in a way. Dramatic irony is created by him, because you know that everything he is saying is true, yet no one believes him.

Oedipus Journal #1

Page 159: Oedipus wants to know the reason why people are at his alter praying for him.
Page 160: The priest tells Oedipus that him and others have come because their city, Thebes, is distraught.
Page 161: The priest tells Oedipus that he has faith in him and believes he can act to save the city and its people.
Page 162: Oedipus tells the priest he knows of the troubles and has sent his wife's brother Creon to the oracle at Delphi to find a way to save the city, then Creon arrives.
Page 163: Creon says he has good news and Oedipus says to tell it to him right there in front of the priest.
Page 164: Creon says they must pay the killer of the prior leader Laius back.
Page 165: Creon tells Oedipus that Laius was killed on his way to see the Oracle.
Page 166: Creon says that thieves killed Laius, and the Sphinx kept them from investigating the murder further.
Page 167: Oedipus says he will find and kill the murderer of Laius.
Page 168: Citizens of Thebes are praying to the gods for help.
Page 169: The same citizens are telling of the death of Thebes and continuing their pray for help.
Page 170: The citizens address each god that they want help from to stop the god of death.

1984 Journal 3

George Orwell criticizes many different aspects of society and government in 1984. One trend that he was really focusing on was totalitarian governments, such as Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini. Although, the aspects of these societies has been seen in countries such as the U.S. and it serves a warning call. For example, the Espionage and Sedition Act of 1917 in the United States during World War I gave the U.S. Government the right to imprison anyone who spoke out against the government. Also in the U.S. during World War I a government organization for "Public Information" was created. It's main job was to spread misleading propaganda about the barbarity of Germans and the importance of reporting dissent. This proves that George Orwell is not just a sending a warning out about Communism and Fascism. In times of war ANY government might take way our civil liberties as human beings. 1984 is a criticism of any centralized power that exerts its control over the people both mentally and physically. 1984 criticizes both Capitalism and Communism as well. It doesn't matter whether you are enslaved by the government or by the rich. Any source of power which is able to control your mind or forces you to think a certain way, must be avoided. Orwell saw a problem with the social classes in his own country of Great Britain, and he realized the lowest class was the only one's who could make a just change, but they weren't capable of it. This is relates to the Proles in 1984, and their inability to make a change, although they are the only hope.

1984 Journal 2

"On the sixth day of Hate Week, after the processions, the speeches, the shouting, the singing, the banners, the posters, the films, the waxworks, the rolling of drums and squealing of trumpets, the tramp of marching feet, the grinding of the caterpillar of tanks, the roar of massed planes, the booming of guns-after six days of this, when the great orgasm was quivering to its climax and the general hatred of Eurasia had boiled up into such delirium that if the crowd could have got their hands on the two thousand Eurasian war criminal who were to be publicly hanged on the last day of the proceeding, they would unquestionably have torn them to pieces-at just this moment it had been announced that Oceania was not after all at war with Eurasia. Oceania was at war with Eastasia. Eurasia was an ally." - Orwell 148

In Orwell's nightmarish society, the people are controlled completely by propaganda. Hate Week is propaganda at its worse. The people are convinced by the media and their peers that one country and its people are the worst people on the planet, and should be killed. This detracts any other emotion out of the people, so they cannot aim it at anything else in their lives. They are so emotionally controlled that when they are told that someone else is actually the enemy, they have no problem is turning their hate instantaneously. This whole frenzy is leading to Winston's reading of Goldstein's book. In the book Winston finds out the true meaning behind Hate Week and the wars, although he already does know himself. The wars and the hate are simply a way of keeping the people under control. With the only emotion in their minds being hate towards are certain country, they are no longer able to make rational thought processes, destroying the possibility of resistance to their own government. He also finds out that the wars are endless. There is no true ally or enemy, and it is constantly switching, just as he has witnessed. The war is simply a way of keeping the people down.