So after walking laps around my neighborhood in Queens, re-reading the play, browsing the world wide web, and even reading other people's blogs on this site (which they have made really good connections that I wouldn't even be able to think of), I felt like giving up because nothing had inspired me to write a blog on Oedipus Rex. I was unsure of what I had to do and couldn't make any connections to the play. I got so nervous as Tuesday approached because I was worried that I would not be able to complete my first homework assignment. Thankfully today, on my way back to stony, I remembered an example that was said in class to help us with our assignment: ramble on about your boyfriend/girlfriend. Ding! *idea light pops* So here it goes... :)
In the play, Oedipus marries Jocasta without being aware that it was actually his mother that he vowed to spend his whole life together with. I remember my high school english teacher saying that we are usually attracted to those who resemble our mother or father. I laughed at that silly theory. But I also did not have a boyfriend at the time. Hearing that idea again in college while currently with someone now, I think I beg to differ with my old high school self. The more I think about it, the more it scares me. My dad has a bad temper, is quite stubborn and extremely protective. He is very loving though and cares a lot about his close ones, which probably influences his overprotective trait. And what do you know? So is my boyfriend. Their temper is at the exact same level and so is their overprotectiveness of me. Sometimes I feel like my dad's the one telling me not to do something or to do something else but it's actually my boyfriend that is the one that is doing so.
I denied this theory and thought it was absurd, but now I am giving it a second thought. Even though some are not willing or to scared to accept this idea, I believe it might be true to an extent. Or maybe it's just a coincidence? Who knows. But whether it's true or false, imagining my boyfriend as my dad is still quite disturbing and I don't want to have that picture in my head.
-Nancy Chantanapokul
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
About the Fate
I don't know if this belief also exists in USA or not(because I arrived here few days ago), but some people in Korea believe that one's fate is written in her/his hand, so by looking at the lines of the palms you can see your future. But if my life is already determined, then why should I live so hard though I can no change it? Does it mean that whether I try this or that or do nothing have the same endings?
Oedipus' parents who heard that their son would bring terrible tragedy to them, decided to kill their son to get rid of it. However, the fate was so strong that they could not resist it and the tragic happended at last. So is there no way that a person can change his/her destiny?
But you can see the decision to find the killer of the late king was made by Oedipus himself. In spite of the warnings, it was him who desired the truth. I am not saying that his decision was right or wrong, but what I want to say is people definitley have some chances to change their lives. During your lifetime, you have to make many choices you can take. And maybe those choices -whether they seem big or small- will effect your future somehow. The choice could be entering the college or not, going to the meeting or not, taking the chance to speech in front of people or giving up that chance, breaking up with your boyfriend/girlfriend or not, eating the pizza or not.
Today I didn't go to the barbeque party because I didn't want to get up early. Now I wonder how it was like and regret a little bit becasse if I were there I could meet new friends instead of sleaping all day and surfing the internet for nothing. And perhaps I could get better picture for my Play Analysis posting at the barbeque party. So actually I decided to be more deligent and go to the kayak trip next holiday with some of my friends so I can meet new friends. I don't want to regret in the future. Therefore I think, in spite of ones' fate, people have a power to change it.
Hurricane Rex
In our discussion of Oedipus rex we came to focus on the plague of the city. In Oedipus Rex, Thebes was plagued and asked their king Oedipus to save them. We were asked to reflect on what the plague of our city is. At first, I was less than exited to do this assignment; the only places I tend to spend my weekends are in my small hometown on long island. The settings for my usual weekend include my home, my friend's basement, and my place of employment; none of these would be useful in finding and observing a plague that would be relevant to a play written centuries ago.
Once I began to analysis the experiences of my rather normal weekend I was able to see similarities in Oedipus’ story. For the most part, Manorville is not really a happening place or united in any event, but this weekend it was foretold that a plague was coming - a hurricane was predicted to hit Long Island. According to the ominous weatherman, this coming storm was going to be a big one. Coming home from school, my mother calls me to come home right away - she needs my help. When I arrived home I helped her tie down all of our patio furniture and assisted her in taking down her wind chime collection, so they do not get blown away in hurricane Earl. After all the hatches where battened down I met my friend to help her shop for food that her and her family can cook and store with out electricity, incase the power went out due to the storm. For the rest of the night no matter what the topic was, or what activity was occurring, someone would check the weather channel or website. When I awoke Friday morning it was already raining, not pouring, but raining enough to count. My mother called me to let me know that traffic was slow and recommended that I leave early for work. I left myself a substantial amount of time to make the trip, figuring I will be able to grab breakfast near work if I was early enough. Normally my commute is about 40 minutes each way, but it took me close to an hour and 15 minutes in light of the storm. It was as if everyone on the road had never seen a little rain before. Anyway, to make a long story short, there turned out to be no hurricane at all. There was barely any wind and the rain wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. People made such a big deal about this possible threat and nothing happened. This made me think about Oedipus Rex; the city is in peril and they look to a psychic to tell them what the future holds. In my city the weatherman tells a prophecy that there will be a hurricane. Only fate holds the answer of what is going to happen; no one is able to say for sure if rain is in the future. Just like in Oedipus rex when the people of Thebes looked to Tiresias for answers to their plague, the people of Long Island looked to the weatherman. In the end everyone turns out blind to what the future holds.
You are your own monster...
Monster.
What does that mean?
Is it a mythical creature?
A really ugly and deformed person?
A person so wicked and horrible?
It's such a vague and general term of something or someone.
It has so many definitions that solely rely on the circumstance the person or thing is in.
Take the characters from "Oedipus Rex", a play written by Sophocles, for example. Some of his characters are somewhat of a monster.
Oedipus not knowingly killed his birth father while in blinding wrath at what was told to be his fate. Then after slaying his biological father, he takes over the throne of Thebes and also unknowingly weds his biological mother. And of course, they probably had sex.
Jacosta, Oedipus' biological mother, on hearing that her son would be Laius', her husband, murderer, allowed Laius to send their baby away to a stranger in the mountains, striking the baby's heels with a sword.
Tiresias is described as to be "an old blind man in a prophet's robe, dark, unkempt, and sinister in appearance". (pg 17, vv. 297-299) Just by looking sinister and being a seer, Tiresias would be considered a monster as well.
But being a monster doesn't really have to be all that bad...
You can be someone that is good in something but in a monster-like way.
My friends all have something that they are really good in.
My good friend Batu is an international student who loves music and is a very talented DJ.
When you first look at him, he seems to be like any other music lover. But once he gets his hands on a mix board, its like looking at a whole new person. The music monster in him comes out and through his monster, Batu creates unique and awesome mixes.
Then there are my friends Charlie, Jimmy, Justine, and Hoi. I met all of them through playing volleyball at the sand courts between our dorm buildings. When they play volleyball, their monsters are coming out left and right. They get so aggressive and become so strong and swift that I get frightened at times. But of course, it's all for an awesome game of volleyball. Without it, volleyball would be so boring and dull.
For me, my monster comes out when I'm singing or baking. When I sing, sometimes I don't feel like myself. During the few minutes of the song, I'm the artist in the music video or the recording studio.
There is always something good and bad about being something.
And being a monster doesn't necessarily have mean something bad.
Being a monster means you are really good at doing something, whether it's playing a sport, some odd talent, or, heck, even making people cry.
You are your own monster.
SIDE NOTE: For the video... it was my first time making something like that, so sorry if I sort of went overboard with it. ^.^;;
Also, I couldn't really go out to the city this weekend, so I decided to use my friends for this.
If you are wondering why I am posting this so late at night (its actually 4:14am on Sept.7 right now...), or early in the morning (whatever floats your boat), it's because I took so long making the video... and also taking the pictures and video. Of course I ended up playing volleyball with my friends in the process.... :D
What does that mean?
Is it a mythical creature?
A really ugly and deformed person?
A person so wicked and horrible?
It's such a vague and general term of something or someone.
It has so many definitions that solely rely on the circumstance the person or thing is in.
Take the characters from "Oedipus Rex", a play written by Sophocles, for example. Some of his characters are somewhat of a monster.
Oedipus not knowingly killed his birth father while in blinding wrath at what was told to be his fate. Then after slaying his biological father, he takes over the throne of Thebes and also unknowingly weds his biological mother. And of course, they probably had sex.
Jacosta, Oedipus' biological mother, on hearing that her son would be Laius', her husband, murderer, allowed Laius to send their baby away to a stranger in the mountains, striking the baby's heels with a sword.
Tiresias is described as to be "an old blind man in a prophet's robe, dark, unkempt, and sinister in appearance". (pg 17, vv. 297-299) Just by looking sinister and being a seer, Tiresias would be considered a monster as well.
But being a monster doesn't really have to be all that bad...
You can be someone that is good in something but in a monster-like way.
My friends all have something that they are really good in.
My good friend Batu is an international student who loves music and is a very talented DJ.
When you first look at him, he seems to be like any other music lover. But once he gets his hands on a mix board, its like looking at a whole new person. The music monster in him comes out and through his monster, Batu creates unique and awesome mixes.
Then there are my friends Charlie, Jimmy, Justine, and Hoi. I met all of them through playing volleyball at the sand courts between our dorm buildings. When they play volleyball, their monsters are coming out left and right. They get so aggressive and become so strong and swift that I get frightened at times. But of course, it's all for an awesome game of volleyball. Without it, volleyball would be so boring and dull.
For me, my monster comes out when I'm singing or baking. When I sing, sometimes I don't feel like myself. During the few minutes of the song, I'm the artist in the music video or the recording studio.
There is always something good and bad about being something.
And being a monster doesn't necessarily have mean something bad.
Being a monster means you are really good at doing something, whether it's playing a sport, some odd talent, or, heck, even making people cry.
You are your own monster.
SIDE NOTE: For the video... it was my first time making something like that, so sorry if I sort of went overboard with it. ^.^;;
Also, I couldn't really go out to the city this weekend, so I decided to use my friends for this.
If you are wondering why I am posting this so late at night (its actually 4:14am on Sept.7 right now...), or early in the morning (whatever floats your boat), it's because I took so long making the video... and also taking the pictures and video. Of course I ended up playing volleyball with my friends in the process.... :D
Monday, September 6, 2010
NATION FULL OF PLEASURE OR UH! PAIN (BLOG-1)
They were full of glory days, ruling quarters & halves of the world. But, throughout their golden period both empires faced torrid time. After all they were ruled by humans prone to mistakes.
The City under the rule of Oedipus was a prosperous city. But due to unknown reasons disaster struck the city and brought gloom to the city. Doesn’t it sound all too familiar?
Once, we Americans held our heads high as the happiest citizens on planet earth. Then came 2008, Wall Street crashed for reasons not very clear. And with Wall Street, the whole American economy started soaring. Words like Poverty, Hunger, Unemployment, Budget Cuts, and Lay-Offs became part of American Dictionary. To this day we have no clue about the actual source of the “RECESSION”. Similar was the case, that’s why Oedipus sent Creon to the Gods to know the root of all evil. We don’t need to do that, all we need to do is concentrate on these lines said by Creon:
“By banishment—
or atone for murder by shedding blood again.
This blood brings on the storm which blasts our state.”
Does it ring any bells? We need to go in flashback; life was all to charming until two planes struck World Trade Center in NYC. This was followed by war in Afghanistan. This can be justified but what’s hard to digest is Gulf War Two. Massive bloodshed in Iraq for apparently no reason. Now, that same blood is haunting the American Spirit. We are still in a massive pool of blood. Every day we are paying for the blood by our dollars that are still pouring in both the countries in the name of peace.
I’ll steal Shakespeare’s famous line: “ALL THE PERFUME OF ARABIA CAN’T WIPE THE SMELL OF BLOOD OF CLEOPATRA’S HANDS”.
Creon spoke: And now the god is clear:
those murderers, he tells us, must be punished,
whoever they may be.
We can’t punish those who did it. But we can prevent others from doing it. If we need to raise our heads with pride then we need all our soldiers back in America. Just like Oedipus sometimes we even fail to figure out that the enemy is amongst us. We need to search it and stop it from spreading.
VARUN SUCHDAY
These are pictures from Coney Island.. focused specifically on "family." In all ages, even in the old stories and mythologies like Oedipus, family is an essential element. We couldn't even exist without our parents, but sometimes we forget how important they are. We fight and hurt their feelings unconsciously. To somebody, wounds from person who really cares and love can be indelible. I mean, really hurt, even worse than how Oedipus got hurt. People can't be always happy with their relationships, that's for sure. They get hurt by their family, but it also gets you cured.
my first sketchup mod
From the second I saw that we would be using SketchUp I was instantly intrigued in the course. After searching through the SketchUp warehouse I was able to figure out what I wanted to do for the first assignment. Seeing as we had to mod a futuristic vehicle, I brought back a concept from a time period that still interests me to this day, the Medieval times. I took a futuristic hover motorcycle, stripped it of some of its unnecessary features and added a jousting lance to the bike. I then duplicated the bike and placed the two onto a traditional jousting field. The past meets future... an idea that I believe will serve as my inspiration to create sketches of my own once i find myself more comfortable with the program.
There was this one time, a few years ago when I heard that my best friend's boyfriend was going to break up with her. They were going out for the night on their "break up date" where he was supposedly going to call it quits, but of course, I couldn't just let my best friend be broken up with. So I followed them to their date to find her and tell her to do it first. But knowing my luck, I bump into them both getting a questioning look from her boyfriend, and a "uhh, what are you doing here?" from my friend. I got her to the bathroom and told her about what was going to happen and told her to do it first, which she agreed to. So I ended up leaving, going back to my house only to get a text from her a half hour later saying "thanks for ruining my relationship. He wasn't going to break up with me." So basically I thought I knew what was going to happen, tried to do something I thought was going to fix it, but yet, made the thing I thought was going to happen actually happen.
This can relate to Oedipus Rex in how the prophecy said Oedipus was going to kill his dad and have sex with his mom. Having the knowledge of the prophecy and what was supposed to happen, and with the preventions of having Oedipus killed, but failing to do so and having him abandoned ultimately led to him unintentionally complete his prophecy. If Oedipus never had known about the prophecy then he quite possibly would have never commit what he had done, just as how my friend wouldn't have broken up with her boyfriend if she hadn't known, but since she had, she did.
BLINDNESS
One of the most difficult questions we can ask ourselves today is: Who are we? Sure, we may know the obvious answers to this question such as our names, how old we are, what our likes and dislikes may be, but, if we look at the more profound meaning of this question, would we be able to answer it?
In today's society, everyone seems to have some sort of label drawn upon them. In our case, we as students, are often labeled as the future of America. Society portrays us as the perfect, put together individuals, who are in a constant state of seriousness. They believe that our minds are consistently set on the future, and just that. However, this assumption is only half true. Though we do value our future and work hard to reach our goals, we often have other things on our mind as well. For instance, after a stressfull week of school, do we not usually just want to go out and party with out friends, maybe have a few drinks or so? You constantly hear stories of students and under age drinking, students taking illegal drugs, students performing numerous ridiculous acts. We are often so blinded by the labels that are given to us, that we never have the oppurtunity to discover our true identities.
Oedipus Rex too was blinded by the labels he was categorized under. Oedipus was seen as a great king. A powerful, smart, cultured, individual. Others saw him as tha alpha male, and as time progeressed, he began to adopt this vision of himself as well. However, because of this label, he was never able to learn the truth about himself. In reality, Oedipus was left for dead soon after birth. He was unwanted by his father, who feared that his son would murder him sometime in the future, and then go off and sleep with his wife. Oedipus saw himself as incapable of performing such a treacherous act as killing the previous king, however, little did he know, that he was the one that performed the cruel deed. Oedipus was so blinded by the portrayals that society was throwing at him, that he refused to believe the actual truth that the prophet was telling him. In the end, his blindness drove him crazy, and he tore out his own eyes, hoping to see the world in a contrasting way.
- Svitlana Hrabovsky
In today's society, everyone seems to have some sort of label drawn upon them. In our case, we as students, are often labeled as the future of America. Society portrays us as the perfect, put together individuals, who are in a constant state of seriousness. They believe that our minds are consistently set on the future, and just that. However, this assumption is only half true. Though we do value our future and work hard to reach our goals, we often have other things on our mind as well. For instance, after a stressfull week of school, do we not usually just want to go out and party with out friends, maybe have a few drinks or so? You constantly hear stories of students and under age drinking, students taking illegal drugs, students performing numerous ridiculous acts. We are often so blinded by the labels that are given to us, that we never have the oppurtunity to discover our true identities.
Oedipus Rex too was blinded by the labels he was categorized under. Oedipus was seen as a great king. A powerful, smart, cultured, individual. Others saw him as tha alpha male, and as time progeressed, he began to adopt this vision of himself as well. However, because of this label, he was never able to learn the truth about himself. In reality, Oedipus was left for dead soon after birth. He was unwanted by his father, who feared that his son would murder him sometime in the future, and then go off and sleep with his wife. Oedipus saw himself as incapable of performing such a treacherous act as killing the previous king, however, little did he know, that he was the one that performed the cruel deed. Oedipus was so blinded by the portrayals that society was throwing at him, that he refused to believe the actual truth that the prophet was telling him. In the end, his blindness drove him crazy, and he tore out his own eyes, hoping to see the world in a contrasting way.
- Svitlana Hrabovsky
Identity
Who am I? How am I doing? What am I doing now? I’ve been thinking a lot to find out myself after finish the second class. It is difficult for me to define myself. When I think about identity, I would say my nationality at first as I am a Korean. If I were in Korea, I would not define Korean as my first identity. However, I feel that I have different traits and appearance as Korean. I have a black hair, small eyes, yellow skin and speaking Korean. As I have unique features, it could be good to explain my identity as Korean.
What am I doing in the US now? I am a college student in the US, not in Korea. I could have chosen to enter the university in Korea. It would be much easier to study for me. However, I decided to study abroad to America. Why? Many Koreans love to study abroad. It’s because they believe studying abroad can be their great advantage to get a better job in Korea than just studying in Korea. Of course, I would believe it could be a big advantage for my future. Currently, finding a good job is getting harder in Korea. That is why I chose a little hard way in my 20’s to survive the competition for such jobs in Korea, . Living in Korea is like surviving the competition. Entering college is the first competition, and getting a job is the second one. Like this, I think having a sense of rivalry could be my other identity.
What am I doing in the US now? I am a college student in the US, not in Korea. I could have chosen to enter the university in Korea. It would be much easier to study for me. However, I decided to study abroad to America. Why? Many Koreans love to study abroad. It’s because they believe studying abroad can be their great advantage to get a better job in Korea than just studying in Korea. Of course, I would believe it could be a big advantage for my future. Currently, finding a good job is getting harder in Korea. That is why I chose a little hard way in my 20’s to survive the competition for such jobs in Korea, . Living in Korea is like surviving the competition. Entering college is the first competition, and getting a job is the second one. Like this, I think having a sense of rivalry could be my other identity.
Oedipus the King.
This picture says the exit can take me to three places: Broadway, Wall Street or Exchange Place. If the exit was fate it would leave me with three possible outcomes. Oedipus had the choice to be a hero( as was his grandfather) even before finding out the truth of his murder and incest. By allowing himself to be consumed by his own desiny he unwittingly forced his own downfall. I believe were are in control of our own fate and Oedipus's parents forced their owns son's fate to come true by taking control of his fate.-J. Ramsey
I'm my parents child but I'm not my parents
While watching Oedipus, one of the parts that stuck with me was near the end when he was speaking to his daughters and telling them how they were going to lead difficult lives because of what he did. He tells them that people would always talk about them and that no man would want to marry them because of their "scandalous reputation." Also that "virginity and barronness" is what would come in the future. This really stuck with me because it reminds me how so many people in the world are known not by what they have done in their lives; but what their parents had done in the past. A persons actions should never reflect on another because everyone is their own person. There are so many people in the world who have come from abusive families, drunks, and drug addicts, but they have prospered in their lives and become successful. These are the people who refuse to be known by what others have done and have made a name for themselves. Everyone is their own person and has the right to make the decisions in their lives that will determine whether they continue in their families reputation or make a new one for themselves. Every person just has to remember that they may be their parents child, but that doesn't mean that they are their parents.Oedipus Contrast
I took this picture in Central Park. It doesn't seem so, but it reminded me of Oedipus the King. It's amazing how something as natural as the lagoon and something as representative of industry as the skyline contrast in this picture. Just as in this picture, there exists a contrast in Oedipus's personality. Oedipus who is so great as to solve the Sphinx's riddle and rid the city of Thebes of the monster's tyranny, can also commit such a vile atrocity as to have an incestuous relationship as well as murder his own father.
Just as industrial New York must coexist with a natural resovoir such as the one in the photo, Oedipus must come to terms with his fate and learn to cope with his destiny.
-Francisco Cuevas
Just as industrial New York must coexist with a natural resovoir such as the one in the photo, Oedipus must come to terms with his fate and learn to cope with his destiny.
-Francisco Cuevas
Thebes pics, Rita McDonald
This reminds me of the people in Thebes, the warriors. The men who would have tried to drag Oedipus away. It may be the wrong time, but that's what it reminded of me anyway.
This sign threatens one month's imprisonment, when Oedipus' sentence was life as a blind, tortured man.
-Rita McDonald
Pictures of Thebes, post 2 for thr 104
I took these pictures saturday night while out. Oedipus has no way out of running into fate. His fate was written many years ago and he proves he cannot avoid fate.
This picture of wheat reminds me of the famine and the starving people in Thebes during Oedipus' reign as king. The land wouldn't produce for them and many people died because of Oedipus' fate.
Though it wasn't meant to, this child freaked me out a bit. It's laughing but it looks evil, possibly the way Oedipus was viewed as a child.
These are the men trying to protect the King from Oedipus' attack. They failed, causing Laius to die and Oedipus to fulfill his destiny.
This man looks like a priest who was arguing with Oedipus. As Oedipus put his punishment out there for the unclean person who killed the king, the priests were telling him to lessen the punishment. If the person who is guilty knows of the punishment he'll never come forward and therefore Thebes will be suffering forever.
-Rita McDonald
Oedipus Computer problems
When Stony Brook Universities Internet decides not to work, it creates a conflict of interest between myself and my computer. There are times, like today, when the Internet just decides not to cooperate with you and nothing ever loads. Currently, "Everyday" by Dave Matthews Band has been loading on YouTube for the past 20 minutes. When this happens, I tend to find myself yelling at my computer, only to get less cooperation. It is just frustrating, particularly when you are trying to get work done. Sometime I even leave the room, only to come back to the same, stubborn mess.
My problem is similar to that in Oedipus Rex, in the scene where Oedipus is having a conflict with Creon, when Creon confronts Oedipus for killing the previous king. They bicker back and forth, much like me yelling at my computer, and nothing really ever gets solved. Oedipus, like my computer, is stubborn and does not admit to his wrong doings. At the same time, Creon, like myself, knows that this problem needs to be fixed immediately so things can go back to normal.
Fortunately, my situation is different then that in Oedipus in that no one is killed, but they do relate to each other.
From prof pb
Very good so far! Most of you didn't remember to put your name and blog count in labels at the bottom! Do this! I can manage you from one sheet. I posted all syllabi here in the beginning. Keep it going. Good hard writing so far. Post more pics. Don't fall behind with writers block! Onward!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Pictures I've sorta captured while hanging out with friends this weekend... I honestly had a hard time trying to do the assignment.. taking pictures that relates to the play... til i thought of one specific statement-- "What one does in the past can harm them in the future" Right right? Cause Oedipus certainly commit such action in the past that caused him to sorta in way "regret" doing, which was murdering his father (that he didnt know was the King) and doing "naughty naughty" with his own mother... right...
Oedipus - Blind spot
Blind Spot:
- (n) A subject about which a person is ignorant or prejudiced, or an occupation in which he or she is inefficient
- (n) An area or subject about which one is uninformed, prejudiced, or unappreciative
- (n) An area or facet of one's personality of which one remains ignorant or fails to gain understanding.
- Dictionary.com
I've read Oedipus two years back in High School... every time i read this during play class, it sickens me to know a son having some incest with his own mother... I am just writing from the top of my head so I'm not really sure if this is going to make sense... theres a lot of I want to write about.. just that its not going to be happening & most likely not going to make any sense... According to dictionary.com, blind spot is to be identified as a person who can be ignorant or simply uninformed. A person who commit such actions without thinking or an an result, committing such action and not knowing what to do after when the truth was revealed to them. Based on the play Oedipus, if I'm not mistaken, Oedipus was abandoned by his parents after the parents found out from the prophecy that their son will grow up to murder the father. As orders were given to the servant by the king, the servant eventually gain pity for Oedipus and placed him in the lake as for survival. Throughout the play, Oedipus was then grown to live his life without his parents. Laius was then killed from a group of robbers and as in result, Oedipus was then the King of Thebes after solving a riddle of sphinx. Being the King of Thebes was not not easy for Oedipus when there were rumors about how the Thebes would suffer if the truth behind who killed the old King, Laius has not been revealed. As time goes, Oedipus eventually found out he was the killer. This shows the blind spot where Oedipus was completely ignorant and informed for his actions.If Oedipus did not wish to fulfill his prophecy then he would not have killed anyone that is old enough to be his father. Oedipus also shouldn't have slept with a woman that is old enough to be his mother. His blind spot was that he has too much pride in himself, he felt he was the smartest because he solved the riddle of the Sphinx. He also couldn't accept the fact when Tiresias told him that he killed his own father. Ignorant was revealed to Oedipus himself when he realized the truth was shown right in front of him due to his action in the past after he managed to have the old prophet Tiresias to report back to him about who really killed the old king. In final consideration, blind spot was shown when Oedipus did not know the truth that he had killed his father with his own bare hands and formed his own family with his own biological mother, Jocasta, yet not knowing what to do after the truth but to think of murdering his own mother and came to the conclusion where his mother commits suicide by hanging herself.
- (n) A subject about which a person is ignorant or prejudiced, or an occupation in which he or she is inefficient
- (n) An area or subject about which one is uninformed, prejudiced, or unappreciative
- (n) An area or facet of one's personality of which one remains ignorant or fails to gain understanding.
- Dictionary.com
I've read Oedipus two years back in High School... every time i read this during play class, it sickens me to know a son having some incest with his own mother... I am just writing from the top of my head so I'm not really sure if this is going to make sense... theres a lot of I want to write about.. just that its not going to be happening & most likely not going to make any sense... According to dictionary.com, blind spot is to be identified as a person who can be ignorant or simply uninformed. A person who commit such actions without thinking or an an result, committing such action and not knowing what to do after when the truth was revealed to them. Based on the play Oedipus, if I'm not mistaken, Oedipus was abandoned by his parents after the parents found out from the prophecy that their son will grow up to murder the father. As orders were given to the servant by the king, the servant eventually gain pity for Oedipus and placed him in the lake as for survival. Throughout the play, Oedipus was then grown to live his life without his parents. Laius was then killed from a group of robbers and as in result, Oedipus was then the King of Thebes after solving a riddle of sphinx. Being the King of Thebes was not not easy for Oedipus when there were rumors about how the Thebes would suffer if the truth behind who killed the old King, Laius has not been revealed. As time goes, Oedipus eventually found out he was the killer. This shows the blind spot where Oedipus was completely ignorant and informed for his actions.If Oedipus did not wish to fulfill his prophecy then he would not have killed anyone that is old enough to be his father. Oedipus also shouldn't have slept with a woman that is old enough to be his mother. His blind spot was that he has too much pride in himself, he felt he was the smartest because he solved the riddle of the Sphinx. He also couldn't accept the fact when Tiresias told him that he killed his own father. Ignorant was revealed to Oedipus himself when he realized the truth was shown right in front of him due to his action in the past after he managed to have the old prophet Tiresias to report back to him about who really killed the old king. In final consideration, blind spot was shown when Oedipus did not know the truth that he had killed his father with his own bare hands and formed his own family with his own biological mother, Jocasta, yet not knowing what to do after the truth but to think of murdering his own mother and came to the conclusion where his mother commits suicide by hanging herself.
A take on a line from Oedipus
I decided to tackle the Oedipus play this morning. After an honest 3 or 4 pages I realized that I wasn't getting the full effect of the characters and their words. I found a BBC production that was uploaded on Youtube.com and gave it a go. Wow! I found the acting amusing and the play took a whole new life. The characters demanded attention and their gestures and facial expressions helped me in the translation of old english. In this blog entry I decided to share a line which was said by the blind man that had the ability to forsee the future. I believe they called him a prophecy. After a heated battle of words with Oedipus he said while kneeling down, "You snear at my blindness. You have eyes but you can not see your own corruption" It might of been how the actor said it but I found this to be one of the best lines in the scene. I felt it held a powerful underlying meaning. It's unfortunate but how often in society do we look at another person and point out a flaw or pass judgement? In society people fail to think before they speak and in doing so say harmful and crude things about one another. Perhaps we say negative things about one another because in turn we feel we have the right to pass judgement on someone because we dont suffer from their handicap or misfortune. It just struck a chord with me. I'd be naive to say I will never pass judgment on someone in the future but hopefully I will be more aware of when I am doing so. Bob Marley once said in a song, "So while you point your fingers someone else is judging you" Take care everyone see you in class.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Oedipus by Rita McDonald
I don't really know what to blog about when it comes to Oedipus. I have read the play before and never am not amazed at how much I'm disgusted. The thought of a son and his mother being together is just…wrong. However, a son is taught to respect, love and be devoted to his mother. It is acceptable to be daddy's little girl, but you are a wimp if you are a mommy's boy. I can't say I disagree with that, I don't want to date a man who is attached to his mother. The mother expects the son to take care of her in her old age. What, then, is the son supposed to do with his wife? He's busy taking care of his mother, therefore he can't take care of his wife. Best solution for him, make them both the same person…messed up. I don't think that it's right the wife couldn't be the queen without a king. Why is that? Is it because she is a woman and therefore can't make decisions without them being unrealistic and irrational? Would she go to war the week of her period and demand all the country's supply of chocolate? The fact that women can't be considered serious or taken seriously because they are not as smart as men, can't make rational decisions without a man and simply can't rule because she is a woman makes me mad more than anything else in the world. When I hear people implying that women can't do what men can do, I pick up the same 50 to 100 pounds the man next to me picks up and bring it where ever I am asked to bring it. Women can rule the same way men can, and had Thebes simply allowed her to rule alone, or allowed her brother to take the throne none of this would have ever happened. They never would have had a plague, the gods angry at them, people hurt and dying. I blame the men.
-Rita McDonald Post 1 THR 104
-Rita McDonald Post 1 THR 104
indetity continued...
As the days continue to go by I find myself paying more and more attention to how my identity plays a role in my and other people’s lives. I look around myself and I have noticed that the people who surround you have a crucial impact on your identity. Lately, I have noticed around my own house that the siblings who live in my house and those that have moved out have very different identities. My brother who still lives at home with us is very conserved and basically doesn’t have much of a life since he works full-time and goes to school part-time. My other brother, who is younger than the one that lives at home, has his own house and is married with one son. Both have different identities and believe opposite things are important. Therefore, I say the people and friends you surround yourself with day to day play an important role on whom you become. Pick good company and build a good identity.
aurooj hussain
post2
aurooj hussain
post2
Friday, September 3, 2010
Identity
Identity - the state of having unique identifying characteristics held by no other person or thing. Identity – the individual characteristics by which a person or thing is recognized. (dictionary.com definitions)
Identity is such an overlooked word. Yet it is everywhere, there are our photo ids (real or fake), there are components that add to our I.D., our birth certificates, our social security numbers, yes, to our system of living this is how we are recognized. It’s tragic that we’re all numbers taking a place in a mathematical equation.
To a certain extent everyone wants to fit in but stand out at the same time. You want to be unique yet accepted by our current society. But what is identity on a more personal level? Sometimes what others see is very different from what we see. If you look up to the sky and watch the clouds, you may see a car, your friend may see a hippo, and a stranger may pass by and see the two of you questioning your sanity. There are so many different views on so many different things.
I feel there is no solid source of where a personal identity can be traced. Everything factors into the final product, both nature and nurture. I am an Asian American female. I am 20 and I am a Theater Arts major. I can say that I have a pretty good picture of who I am and where I come from but there are always times of uncertainty. Who am I really? Is this what I want to do for the rest of my life? Am I going the right direction? Is this the right path? What is fate? Where is the reason? What is the point?
After many nights and thoughts pertaining to questions like these I’ve learned, after much frustration and many tablets of Advil that it is best to just live. Dwelling on time consuming, nagging thoughts and unraveling a never-ending possibility of answers, is just a wasteful action of what you could be doing otherwise with your precious time. I believe that everything does happen for a reason, as cliché as it may sound, but I think if we just follow our passions and our dreams with a logical point of view and a persistent and positive attitude, we could be successful and on the way to finding out who we really are.
Monica Feng
What can I do to prevent me from living my grandparents and parents life? Post 2
My mother is a nurse and has been one for 30 years. She is very successful at everything she does and makes a very comfortable living for herself and is happy in the process. She makes as much money herself as my boyfriend's parents make combined. The only problem is that she has debt left from my father and has been paying it off for the last 10 years. I want to live my mother's life, but without the debt. My dad never graduated high school, can barely read and can't hold a job. He can't hold a job because he thinks he's a better boss than his boss and mouths off. Therefore, he always gets fired. For a while he was working for a florist. I don't know where he is or what he's doing these days but I know I won't be living his life. As far as my grandparents go, I'm not sure what any of them did. My mother's father, grandpa, was a drunk. I'm not sure what he did for work. My grandmother worked in a factory while my mom took care of her 7 other siblings. My grandmother had a total of 9 kids. My dad's father, papa, I'm not sure what he did either. My nanny, dad's mom, didn't do anything. They had foster kids which they made money off of, which is where some of their income came. It's funny to think of how terrible my nanny is and what she did to my father and the fact that the state let her have more kids. I am doing everything I can to prevent myself from living my family's life. I am going to school to get my bachelor's, then onto my master's degree program. I have a boyfriend who loves me and who supports me and doesn't make me feel bad about myself ever. It's the healthiest relationship I've ever seen and considering what I've been through before this one, I never want to give him up. A positive professional and a positive personal life is what most of my family has missed and why they've failed and weren't happy with their lives.
-Rita McDonald THR 216 Post 2
Who am I and what defines me? Post 1
Who I am as a person has been defined in the last few years as a lighting technician/designer. I have been defined throughout high school and my college career. I have tried on different hats such as drug store assistant manager, chef, dishwasher, bowling alley waitress, cashier and delivery driver. None of these hats ever fit me as well as what I am now. I love talking tech with someone and learning. Everyday I do my best to learn more and more and I am more excited every single day with the prospect of someone teaching me something new. In high school I was not a very happy person for a long time. I was on anti-depressants for a while, which was a huge mistake because it's affected my memory and I can't remember normal things even these days. Someday I will travel the world because of the career path I have chosen. If I am on a cruise ship as a lighting technician, following a band as a roadie/lighting technician or if I am asked to fly to various places for speeches or to design for various theaters. Someday I will get there, in the meantime I am networking, making friends and getting as many jobs as I can. I have absolutely no complaint about the campus food but for the price. The food is as nutritious as you want it to be. I don't want to hear people complaining about the food when in front of you is a salad bar with the dressing separate so you can put as little on as you want. I ate the Indian food at Jasmine and it wasn't that great, but that's because I've eaten a fair amount of Indian Food and what was offered there was dry and not as flavorful as I wanted. I know now to just go down the road to the Indian Restaurant I really enjoy. Because of the prices at the college, I will simply bring my own food, which isn't that hard. With my cooler in my trunk, I can keep my salad, turkey sandwich, fruit, vegetables and drinks as cold as I want them. My opinion, if you want to keep complaining, get off your ass and do something about the supposed lack of nutrition and the expensive prices at the college.
-Rita McDonald THR 216
Thursday, September 2, 2010
inception and my dreams
As mentioned in class today- "Dreams are healthy, and lays down the long term memory". The individuals in inception dreamt, and woke up remembering everything in their dream. Sometimes they woke up normally, while at other times they woke up disturbed. However, as we all know, actions speak louder than words. I believe that one cannot quite know what it means to wake up disturbed from a dream until it has happened to them; it is something they have experienced for themselves. I have woken up from a dream extremely disturbed about five times in my life so far. Each time, I woke up either hysterically crying or scared in a cold sweat. In addition, after I have woken up from these dreams, I can remember everything that has happened, recalling more details as I think about it even more. Dreams are a very unique aspect of life, however, because of my experiences with disturbed dreams I know that they can also be painful. Every dream that I have had in which I wake up either crying or scared has to deal with my step father. He has done many things and treated me in many wrongful ways that has scarred me for life. I try to forget all the things he has done to me and live a life forgetting about him. Unfortunately, once in a while, I have to deal with a disturbing dream, which brings all the memories and hurt back. Just like the protagonist in Inception, sometimes I am afraid to dream, because I do not want to see what my dreams can reveal.
Identity
Identity... Most of us ask throughout our ENTIRE lives, who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose? I don't understand those people, I have always known who I am. Of course in high school I would change my appearance every so often to try to fit into various cliques, i.e., my two week "goth" phase.. *cringe* But I found, even looking back on my baby photos, I have always been this bubbly, funny, outgoing, positive person.I was always such a ham, when I was 2 any time I saw a camera I would put on the biggest smile I could and I would start yelling "CHEEEEESE!" over and over again. Do I know my purpose on this Earth? No. Not yet at least. However, I do know what I'm good at. I know I'm an entertainer, I make people feel. That's why I'm an actress. If I can get people to follow me into this fictional world and get them to follow my story for 2 hours while they forget about their own lives for a little while, then I've done my job. I am Cassandra Jean Reissig. An entertainer. A daughter. A friend. A sister. A shoulder to lean on. A lover not a fighter. A singer. A romantic. An "updated hippie". A little bit of a nerd. A dreamer. I am me.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
The First of a many more to come...(identity)
Today, the second day of class theater 216 was pretty interesting. I think that's that is why i took this class to get more technical and explore the world at my fingertips. Anyways, Professor said something really important in class as he interviewed Alex. He said what the first thing you think about when you leave your house? what is your identity? what are you good at? Seriously what AM I good at? It feels like i have no special qualities and most of the time i just try to blend in. Which is probably not going to happen. going back to the first question, i am a very complex person when it comes to the issue of indentity. I am a muslim and there are certain qualities i hold dear to myself like my dignity.
When I walk out of my house everyday i have my religion Islam on my shoulders. As a woman i am the flag bearer of my religion and i am very proud of it. i like the responsibilty i have been given to protect myself from the gaze of men and uphold my dignity. my mother lways says that a women is the ultimate creation of beauty and therefore i do my best to dress modestly even though it may prove to be difficult in 90 degree weather but it's all good. Basically, my identity is my scarf it gives me a reason to suceed and shelters me from harm while it is my choice to wear it. the thing that annoys me is when other people namely other muslims boys blend into to the american way of life and try to hide the fact that deep down inside they have responsibilites to their religion also. Most of the time these boys don't fullfil their responsibilities and get caught up in the wrong crowds with the wrong people. they essentially lose their identity and create one that satisfies others around them. i call these people lost; they need guidance.
aurooj hussain
When I walk out of my house everyday i have my religion Islam on my shoulders. As a woman i am the flag bearer of my religion and i am very proud of it. i like the responsibilty i have been given to protect myself from the gaze of men and uphold my dignity. my mother lways says that a women is the ultimate creation of beauty and therefore i do my best to dress modestly even though it may prove to be difficult in 90 degree weather but it's all good. Basically, my identity is my scarf it gives me a reason to suceed and shelters me from harm while it is my choice to wear it. the thing that annoys me is when other people namely other muslims boys blend into to the american way of life and try to hide the fact that deep down inside they have responsibilites to their religion also. Most of the time these boys don't fullfil their responsibilities and get caught up in the wrong crowds with the wrong people. they essentially lose their identity and create one that satisfies others around them. i call these people lost; they need guidance.
aurooj hussain
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