"Unwept, friendless, with no marriage hymn, unfortuante, I am taken down the prepared road. It is no longer right for unhapy me to see this holy eye of light, but no friend groans over my unwept fate." Antigone brings character and tragedy from the men and women of Thebes into the every day life of Sophocles's Antigone brodens the view of a woman and her duties.
Sophocles brings character's relationships with their famillys in tie with the personal duties needing to be carried through with, which makes the theme a controversey. Women's duty during the time is having the responsibility of burying the men that die. When Antigone's responsibility is denied for her to finish the task of burying her brother Polynices, Antigone breaks rules and shows her stubbornness to finish the task.
Agreeing with rules is usually the right choice to make always, but sometimes going against the set rules may be better. A dynasty, a tradition, a civic responsibility to live up too. Creon on the other hand is stubborn and strives for everyone to obey his word. He says,
...my country is safety itself, and only when she is upright can our sailing find friends. With laws like these I will make our city grow. By his words, Creon declares Eteocles to be buried and Polynices to stay unburried. Clashing with Creon, Antigone knows her obligations to her family and brothers and demands her say in the decision. Ismene, Antigone's sister, argues with Creon and trys to explain Antigone's words further. Unable to convince Creon, Ismene realizes Antigone may die but upon her own fate.
Most of the story takes place at the palace of Thebes. Thebes is located in the norhtern part of mainnland Greece. Thebes is known to have many myths taken place there, and was a rival to Athens.
Deaths, drama, and betrayal all happens because of the duty to burry a dead person. In my case, I would rather stay living than possibly having an outcome of death to bury my brother. The choice is all in ones opinion in what they want to follow through with. Does Antigone leave her brother Polynices unburried and live or will she try to bury him and unwillingly die?
"Knowledge truly is by far the most important part of happiness, but one must neglect nothing that the gods demand. Great words of the over-proud balanced by great falls taught us knowledge in our old age." Says the old men of Thebes. Antigone is a classic at one point everyone should read to see the everyday challenges people faced earlier in history. Will you read and see if the old men of Thebes are correct about more knowledge coming as you age?
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Taking a Stand-The Call of the Wild Review
Leadership. "Buck wanted it. He wanted it because it was his nature, because he had been gripped tight by that nameless, incomprehensible pride of the trial and trace-that pride which holds dogs in the toil to the last gasp, which lures them to die joyfully in the harness, and breaks their hearts if they are cut out of the harness." Jack London's Call of The Wild accentuates the real essence of nature's calling.
Jack London uses a very vivid theme for the book. He highlights the harsh, bitter, and cruel moments through Buck's life. London's voice does not succumb to the feeble bodies reading the story. His voice is unique creating pictures as if the screen is right in front playing the scenes out.
The pain endured as he traveled back to camp was written with great intensity that made the realization everyone had been killed a superior situation for Buck. Jack London creates the characters with such great detail, everyone mentioned strives to find the leadership and courage inside of them throughout the story. Being a like able person is the same as being a like able character. If the character has a good sense of humor at times, sorrow, and leadership the character is well rounded. London's characters in the book are thought out to fit their part exactly the way they need to effect the book. Buck is a great example of a well rounded character. He exerts the effort to prove his spot in the wild. Killing the leaders of other packs and showing he is strong and can lead a pack. Buck also shows grief when he comes to find his family after the Indians have attacked the base camp. The man in the red sweater shows no mercy. He gives outs the punishments wanting to finish the task not to stop and smell the roses and waste all of his time.
Jack London creates a place with harsh environments. Not out of the imagination but of a place he visited before writing the story. He traveled to Alaska and the Canadian Yukon searching for the prized possession gold. With high hopes to bring back gold, London returns with a harsh beauty of the wild to write about in Call of the Wild, published in 1903. Since London has traveled to a place worthy of writing about, he is now able to recall from his experiences and give Buck the same feelings he knows best.
The dominant one. The Leader, Buck, having many problems of his own starting out adapts to new survival techniques needed to survive in the bitter world. Fighting viciously with moose, Indians, and Spitz Buck finds ways to survive and make the time rush by quick. Determined to get back in time to help his family fight off the attackers, Buck sprints through the wild destroying any moving object that gets in his way. Other head chiefs and leaders battle out the top spot with Buck to see who "owns" everything around them. Catch yourself falling for Buck remembering a time in life when nothing seemed to go right and no one was there to support and realize the situation could always be worse, just like in Buck's case.
"But he is not always alone. When the long winter nights come on and the wolves follow their meat into the lower valleys, he may be seen running at the head of the pack through the pale moonlight or glimmering borealis, leaping gigantic above his fellows, his great throat a-bellow as he sings a song of the younger world, which is the song of the pack." I do recommend to cut free and imagine the troubles Buck and his fellow dog packs encounter as the story travels through the vicious, the wild, the calls, for the call of the wild is coming!
Jack London uses a very vivid theme for the book. He highlights the harsh, bitter, and cruel moments through Buck's life. London's voice does not succumb to the feeble bodies reading the story. His voice is unique creating pictures as if the screen is right in front playing the scenes out.
The pain endured as he traveled back to camp was written with great intensity that made the realization everyone had been killed a superior situation for Buck. Jack London creates the characters with such great detail, everyone mentioned strives to find the leadership and courage inside of them throughout the story. Being a like able person is the same as being a like able character. If the character has a good sense of humor at times, sorrow, and leadership the character is well rounded. London's characters in the book are thought out to fit their part exactly the way they need to effect the book. Buck is a great example of a well rounded character. He exerts the effort to prove his spot in the wild. Killing the leaders of other packs and showing he is strong and can lead a pack. Buck also shows grief when he comes to find his family after the Indians have attacked the base camp. The man in the red sweater shows no mercy. He gives outs the punishments wanting to finish the task not to stop and smell the roses and waste all of his time.
Jack London creates a place with harsh environments. Not out of the imagination but of a place he visited before writing the story. He traveled to Alaska and the Canadian Yukon searching for the prized possession gold. With high hopes to bring back gold, London returns with a harsh beauty of the wild to write about in Call of the Wild, published in 1903. Since London has traveled to a place worthy of writing about, he is now able to recall from his experiences and give Buck the same feelings he knows best.
The dominant one. The Leader, Buck, having many problems of his own starting out adapts to new survival techniques needed to survive in the bitter world. Fighting viciously with moose, Indians, and Spitz Buck finds ways to survive and make the time rush by quick. Determined to get back in time to help his family fight off the attackers, Buck sprints through the wild destroying any moving object that gets in his way. Other head chiefs and leaders battle out the top spot with Buck to see who "owns" everything around them. Catch yourself falling for Buck remembering a time in life when nothing seemed to go right and no one was there to support and realize the situation could always be worse, just like in Buck's case.
"But he is not always alone. When the long winter nights come on and the wolves follow their meat into the lower valleys, he may be seen running at the head of the pack through the pale moonlight or glimmering borealis, leaping gigantic above his fellows, his great throat a-bellow as he sings a song of the younger world, which is the song of the pack." I do recommend to cut free and imagine the troubles Buck and his fellow dog packs encounter as the story travels through the vicious, the wild, the calls, for the call of the wild is coming!
Taking a Stand
“NO! I will not be apart of this.” Exclaimed the girl as all of her friends abandoned her at the gas station on the way to the party. Those screaming words are very few of which teenagers choose to say. The task is simple; stand up for yourself and good will come out of the situation. I have had many encounters where the answer needed to be no or leave me alone. Standing up is what I do. When a girl has make up smeared all over her face and tears rushing out like a waterfall, I need to take care of the instance immediately. Taking care of the job is my duty. I finish the task. In Antigone, many of the characters stand up for their pride and culture. Do they put out their case in the right moment? Well, that is where some stories lead to tragedy and heartbreak. Antigone was not a hero. She simply knew where she came from and believed when no one thought the task could be done. Since women always prepared the burials of men, Antigone stood up for the women when Creon challenged to not allow them to carry on with such work. Being a woman, Antigone sets her mind to the task ahead and never looks back. A true heroic figure will not only stand up for themselves but for all those in need. I always remember the hero who died in battle, who did not give up, and the one who does an act of kindness out of the heart and soul. I want to be remembered as the person who stands up and defends. Do you?
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