Blood Wedding

Personal convictions and shared beliefs, the private and the public life, sometimes seem at odds in the modern world. How did you find your chosen works touched on this conflict, and with what effect?

       All three of the plays we have studied deal with this conflict between public and private life by speaking to the idea/concept of a reputation and how others view the characters.  This seems to emphasize the problem in society with being oneself and being confident with that.  In the plays, reputations are upheld solely for appearances, so that one does not seem weak or insecure.  Reputation is a coverup.

       In "Oedipus the King", Oedipus really has a reputation to uphold with his people.  They have to trust him and be loyal to him.  Because of this, he has to put up a front of being in control and being capable.  In reality, though, he is struggling with his own life and he feels lonely.  His reputation is basically false.  This creates the effect that the audience or readers feels personally connected to Oedipus because of their own experiences with appearances and reputations. 

       "The Wild Duck" is also very concerned with appearances.  All the characters act like friends and have dinner parties, but in reality they are often gossiping about each other.  The gossip about appearances and reputation ultimately ruins these reputations, and there are no true trusting relationships.  There is also this conflict between personal beliefs and general consensus.  For example, most of the people believe Hedvig is Hjalmar's daughter, but what really counts in this situation is the one person who is most affected, Hjalmar.  Ibsen is saying that reputation really only matters if one is fooling oneself.  Everyone else may believe you and your facade, but it ultimately comes down to how you feel about yourself and your actions.  Reputations don't mean anything.

        Finally, Lorca's "Blood Wedding" focuses on the bride to reveal ideas about reputation.   This illustrates a theme about gender roles and strong women.  On page 23, Leonardo's wife says "I don't want you to think badly about a nice girl."  This shows the importance that is placed upon appearances and what people think of each other.  The outfits worn are also described in detail in the stage directions, showing how important it is that the characters look nice to fit their roles and uphold appearances.

Comments

Okay, I am having some problems getting my comments to actually show up on blogs.  For some reason, only the comment on Ivan's blog is actually registering for some reason.  But I am going to post my comments anyway.

On Ivan's:
I definitely agree with the knowledge is power statement you made. Is this also true in Wild Duck?

On Shannon's Wild Duck Journal 1: I agree!  Actions in a play should be valued just as highly as words.

On Isabel's Wild Duck Journal 6: I think you have good points, but I disagree with your argument.  How could style represent anything without a plot to anchor to?

The Wild Duck Journal 2

       To what extent have you found it possible, in your consideration of literary works, to separate the individual from his or her public role?
       In both the plays "Oedipus the King" and "The Wild Duck", there is a certain emphasis on reputation and public image that is predominantly superficial.  To answer the question, I think the authors Sophocles and Ibsen are both examining the idea of a public image and what must be sacrificed to uphold it.  It is possible to separate oneself from one's public role, but at the expense of some important relationships and perhaps one's own personal identity.
       In "Oedipus the King", the most important public role is Oedipus's.  His people look up to him to be a great leader and to save their city from the plague.  However, in his attempts to be a good leader, he has to kind of put his private life on the back burner, ie his fate/prophecy.  When he brings his private life out into the public and starts to discuss the prophecy with messengers and his family, that is when his downfall begins.  He is mixing his private and public lives, which results in a public discovery and Oedipus's heroic demise.
       In "The Wild Duck", reputation is an often-mentioned topic.  On page 173, at dinner, all the characters are talking about one man's hair and what color it is.  This represents their reputations and how everyone participates in the gossip yet tries to uphold their own precious images.  Relling says, "is it really gray hair he's got, or is it white?  HJALMAR: It's really a little of both.  But as a matter of fact, he's scarcely got a hair on his head."  This reflects the artificiality of the reputations all the distinguished men are trying to uphold for their friends.  They are sacrificing trust in their relationships for the sake of appearances.  Their public roles are essentially more important to them than their personal lives and their families.  This is also represented when Hjalmar comes home and has forgotten to bring Hedvig candy.  He dismisses his mistake and continues prattling on about his business endeavors while his wife and child are expected to listen politely.  He has a reputation to uphold as the man of the house, the family breadwinner.
      

Wild Duck Journal 1

                To what extent would you agree that plot should be valued more highly than style in the work?            

                I believe that plays are meant to be performed.  They are meant to be entertaining.  Because of this, I think that to a certain extent the plot should be valued more highly than style.  What the audience will be most interested in and engaged in is the actual plot and events of the play, not the alliteration of the actors’ lines.

                In the play “Oedipus the King”, the plot is one that many people, if not everyone, in ancient Greece would have known.  They would have come to see that play performed because it is a story they know and love!  The common citizens of ancient Greece would not have cared much about the rhythm of the actors’ lines and what its effect is, they just would have liked the sound and the literal words.  However, the playwright’s style is also important and unique to the play, and I think it should also be valued.  I assume people liked, and still like, Sophocles’ work, and that is another reason why they went to see his plays.  I just think most people who were audiences of his plays were more interested in the plot than the style, so this is what the emphasis was placed on.

                In “The Wild Duck”, the style of the author, Ibsen, is more prominent.  There are more stage directions and costume details that are mentioned that are important to the style.  I still think the plot is important both to the audience of a live performance and readers of the play, but the stylistic elements seem to have a larger emphasis in “The Wild Duck”.  I personally prefer this because I think the style should be recognized in the actual writing of the play, not just in the performance.  Even though the plot is still more important, the style should be acknowledged and valued too.

Oedipus Journal 4

“Visual action can be as important on the stage as speech.”
     After reading "Oedipus the King" and some of Ibsen's "Wild Duck", I definitely agree with this claim.  But first I have to say that I have not seen either of these plays actually performed.  However, through the stage directions and actor clued included in the works, I think that the visual aspect of a play is at least as important as the actual lines, if not more important.
     In "Oedipus the King", there are almost no stage directions.  There is a description of the stage and its props at the very beginning of the play, but almost no description at all throughout the rest of the book.  This left a lot to the imagination while I was reading.  I had almost no concept of where the scenes were taking place; if the characters were moving, if they were outside, etc.  There were few directions to the actors, which I guess is good for them because they can interpret the lines how they want.  Yet while I was reading, the dialogue was the only direction I got to how the characters were moving and feeling.  Again, I had to imagine a lot of it.  The lack of scene setting is most likely due to the fact that most stages in ancient Greece were not very elaborate and did not have many props.  However, it still led to a little bit of confusion for me.  The visual action would have been really helpful for me to understand the play more insightfully.
    After reading only one scene of "Wild Duck", I think I have a much better understanding of the characters' personalities and the setting.  This is because the setting and stage directions are very detailed in the book.  I can read about exactly how the stage is set up and exactly how the actors are moving.  This is the next best thing after actually watching the play being performed.  The description has led to a better understanding of this play than I had of "Oedipus the King".  The semi-visual action is really helpful to understanding and interpreting the words and themes.

Oedipus Journal 3

       The setting of the play "Oedipus the King" has quite a significant impact on the story and how it is set up.  When this play would have been performed a couple thousand years ago, the audience would have known the story, the ending, and the characters.  Thus, the setting is really important so that the audience in this particular setting has the right amount of background information on Oedipus and his story.  He would have been a legend almost, or a well-known hero.  For this purpose, the cultural, historical, and geographical settings are all crucial.
        The same idea goes for the characters.  The setting of this play is in Thebes, Greece.  Greece is also where the play would have been performed the most often.  The people of Greece would be able to relate to the characters.  In "Oedipus the King", women are seen as inferior, and family is one of the most important things in life.  Also, the gods are an essential part of the story.  If the play was not performed in Greece, it would not have the same influence on its audience.  The characters and their values are most consistent with the setting of both the play and the actual performances.  The setting in which the play was performed is crucial to how the audience reacts to and relates to the separate characters.
       Finally, the theme is important to the setting also.  This play has many overarching themes.  Some of them seem to be about family, power, and fate.  The gods in Greece were considered the most influential factors on one's life.  They had all the power, even over the king, like Oedipus was.  They also could control humans and their fates.  This relates directly to the theme that mere mortals cannot compete with fate and destiny.  Also, this play says something about family and what it means that is important to the setting.  Perhaps Greeks have different family values.  They keep their families closer and trace their heritage.  In this way, the overarching themes relate to the setting and the audience.

Oedipus Journal 2

To Journey
        In the play "Oedipus the King", the concept of journeying is both a literal term and a figurative term.  First of all, when Oedipus heard the prophecy about himself (that he would kill his father and marry his mother), he was afraid.  He was worried that he would accidentally make the prophecy come true.  As a result, he decided to flee Corinth and stay away from it for as long as he possibly could.  This is the literal journey that he took.  In this way, the phrase "to journey" is used to express the idea of running or journeying away from a place that is possibly harmful.  Oedipus has literally run from Corinth to Thebes in an effort to save himself and his family.  He has journeyed to benefit many people: his father, his mother, and himself.  However, by literally journeying away from Corinth, he began a figurative journey away from his destiny.  Basically, he was attempting to run away from fate.  It is like when you are at the dentist and have to "journey" to your happy place.  Oedipus did the same thing by running away from his problems and trying to forget the prophecy and his fate.  This is his figurative journey.  It is both mental and physical.  The concept of a journey is also explored in this play through the use of many different messengers.  The messengers in "Oedipus the King" come from faraway places, bringing news of family members, kings, and other cities.  They are the ones who do the most journeying.  I think this must represent or have something to do with the idea that the messengers are not afraid to roam; not afraid to take risks.  They are willing to journey to different situations, unlike Oedipus, who has been running from his destiny and prophecy both literally and figuratively.  In short, the concept of journeying is used in many different ways in this play: literally, figuratively, and mentally.  It is also used to portray different characters' personality traits.

Oedipus Journal 1

      This play is written from a third person point of view because it is a play!  This is consistent throughout the work.  Because of this third person point of view (not really a narrator), the play and the themes are really open to interpretation.  This is because the reader does not get specific motivations for the characters' actions.  The only thing the reader or viewer gets is dialogue, and so we do not get to understand the characters as well because we do not know their thoughts or feelings, unless they are explicitly expressed.  The narrative voice is reliable, I guess, because there really is not a singular "voice".  It is simply dialogue.  However, this dialogue may be interpreted in many ways.  As I said before, this limited point of view does not allow readers or listeners/watchers of the play to get to know the characters personally like they would in a novel.  Yet in this play the characters do express their specific feelings so the reader does not feel lost or out of the loop.  This would be especially helpful if one were watching this as a play.  The characters are presented with distinct personalities and senses of humor, but again, their qualities would be greatly enhanced onstage.  Because I am reading this play and not watching it, the author has to manipulate the dialogue for that type of situation.  In order to make readers sympathize with some characters, I think the author made them speak longer and with more emotion.  This allows readers to understand them better and therefore like them more.  However, with other, less likable characters, the author writes dialogue to make them more crass and blunt instead of eloquent and emotional.  The humor that the characters use is important to audience relatability.  If the characters have a good sense of humor and make many jokes, the audience or reader will like them more and be more willing to sympathize with them.  In this way, characters that are rivals of these funny, clever characters are less well-liked.

We Journal Topic C

In We, Yevgeny Zamyatin is warning the human race about the pitfalls of conformity. His novel stresses the importance and beauty of individuality and imagination. In the book, everyone is the same. They eat at the same time, sleep at the same time, and walk at the same time. This vision/idea is not believable, in my opinion. I cannot imagine anyone letting someone else control their life like that. However, I do believe this vision is powerful, if only because the concept is so interesting. The citizens in the dystopian society are (or seem to be) genuinely happy, which fascinates me. If conformity is so great, then why would D-503 begin to think and act rebelliously and individually? I think Zamyatin is saying that it is in human nature to want to be different and special. Everyone wants to be their own person. The idea of such a rhythmic society is impossible to me, but I think the message is clear. A society composed of millions of practically identical "numbers" is doomed to fail because if represses the innate human desire for individuality. I wouldn't say Zamyatin gives us hope in his novel, but rather an idea for an alternative. His world behind the "Green Wall" is natural and free. He presents the option to break out of one's comfort zone, to be unique. This idea is an answer to the "wake-up call".

We Journal Topic B

                In We, D-503 is the Builder of the Integral. He is supposed to be one of the most enthusiastic believers in spreading mechanical, mathematical happiness to other planets. He shouldn’t be questioning his beloved logical society, but he starts to do so. In his relationships with other numbers, he is usually very practical and does what he is supposed to do. For example, D-503 always goes to the auditorium when he is supposed to, meets up with O-90 when he is supposed to, and even wakes up at the exactly correct time. He loves the One State and loves being able to use his skills to contribute to the One State’s glory. However, D-503 starts doing things that are not logical, that are not precise. He starts to notice I-330, a rebellious female number who does crazy things like drink alcohol and wear pretty yellow dresses instead of her uniform. I-330 starts to influence D-503, and D-503 is very worried about himself. He decides he must be ill, and someone tells him he must have a soul, apparently a very unusual occurrence in the One State. D-503 is not victimized or forced into rebelling. It is all in his mind. He begins to sleep and wake at unusual times, obtain certificates of illness instead of going to work, and think primitive thoughts (he says he has “ape hands”). D-503’s resistance is relatively successful two-thirds of the way into the book, because he has gone outside the Green Wall, has accepted that he has a soul, and continues to meet with I-330. Others are starting to notice his resistance, however, and it won’t work out for him in the end.

We Journal Topic A

“He had given us certificates that we were ill and could not report to work. I was stealing my services from the One State, I was a thief, I saw myself under the Benefactor’s Machine. But all of this was as remote and indifferent as a story in a book…I took the slip without a moment’s hesitation. I-all of me, my eyes, lips, hands-knew that this had to be” (Zamyatin 73).

                This passage from We has many important yet subtle elements. First, it reveals a few aspects of the dystopian society that Zamyatin has created. The first is the idea of the certificate, or slip. In this society, “numbers” get slips or coupons for almost everything: if they are too sick for work, if they want to have sex, and if they are doing anything out of the ordinary. The second aspect of this society that is evident in the passage is the idea of the mechanized One State. D-503 recognizes that he is part of one giant machine, and that his actions are threatening both to the One State and to himself (“I was stealing my services from the One State, I was a thief”). Also in this section of the novel, D-503 is becoming “ill”, i.e. he is starting to go off the beaten path and do unusual things.  This is the beginning of D-503’s rebellion. Finally, in the last sentence of the passage, D-503 describes his body. He mentions lips countless times during the novel, and this is an important aspect of his character-he is very observant of his own and others’ features, especially their facial features. He is noticing the “numbers’” individuality, which is part of his epiphany that people are different. He realizes his society’s ideas about everyone being exactly the same are wrong.

Journal 9-Thesis Statement

In The Stranger, Albert Camus uses the color red to represent sadness and illustrate how Meursault deals with the grief from his mother's death.  This emphasizes that Meursault does have emotions, and the repetition of red represents his grieving process.  Camus does this to convey the idea that different people deal with their emotions in different ways.

Journal 8-Reflection

          After reading The Stranger twice through, I think it's a book meant for English classes.  If I weren't in this class, I would never pick it up and read it, much less like it.  The first time I read it I thought it was dumb and dry, but I did recognize that there was some larger meaning.  In general, I prefer books that have a more interesting plot and characters where I can get wrapped up in suspense and exciting events.  This book seems to be almost too obvious about its themes and points.  I enjoyed analyzing this book because it was more straightforward than other books like Their Eyes Were Watching God.  However, I liked the general story and idea of Their Eyes Were Watching God better than The Stranger.  I think this book is meant to be analyzed and interpreted, not to be read for pleasure.  I wouldn't reccommend it to anyone because I don't think just anyone would like it. 
          I also think reading this book has made me realize more just how complex novels are, with all the ideas and motifs and themes.  I still don't think authors put as much thought into them as we think they do, but reading this novel made me appreciate the complexity more.

Journal 7-Quotes

Topic: The color red
In The Stranger, Albert Camus uses the repetition of the color red to represent sadness and how Meursault deals with the grief from his mother's death.  This subtly illustrates that Meursault does have emotions, he just deals with them differently than most people.

1. "Above the hills that separate Marengo from the sea, the sky was streaked with red" (Camus 12).
2. "I was struck by their blood-red color next to the pallor of his face" (Camus 15).
3. "Seeing the rows of cypress trees leading up to the hills next to the sky, and the houses standing out here and there against that red and green earth, I was able to understand Maman better" (Camus 15).
4. "Then there was the church and the villagers on the sidewalks, the red geraniums on the graves in the cemetery, Perez fainting (he crumpled like a rag doll), the blood-red earth spilling over Maman's casket[...]" (Camus 18).
5. "A little later the local boys went by, hair greased back, red ties, tight fitting jackets" (Camus 22).
6. "Above the rooftops the sky had taken on a reddish glow, and with evening coming on the streets came to life" (Camus 23).
7. "Old Salamano has reddish scabs on his face and wispy yellow hair" (Camus 27).
8. "he took out a sheet of paper, a yellow envelope, a small red pen box[...]" (Camus 32).
9. "There was the same dazzling red glare.  The sea gasped for air[...]" (Camus 57).
10. "Once again I could see the red sand and feel the burning of the sun on my forehead" (Camus 67).
11. "I saw a tall, thin man dressed in red and wearing a pince-nez" (Camus 85).
12. "Three judges, two in black, the third in red, entered" (Camus 85).
13. "The man in the red gown sat in the chair in the middle" (Camus 85).
14. "He had nice pale blue eyes and a reddish complexion" (Camus 6).

I have gone through the book and tabbed the mention of red, and it is only used this many times...therefore, I can not post 15 quotes.  However, I may use another topic, so I'll post quotes for that too.

Topic: Coffee
In The Stranger, Albert Camus uses the motif of coffee to illustrate Meursault's connection to society-how delicate it is and how easy it is for him to act in a way that is considered wrong and that can be used against him.

1. "Then he offered to bring me a cup of coffee with milk.  I like milk in my coffee, so I said yes, and he came back a few minutes later with a tray.  I drank the coffee" (Camus 8).
2. "'I have to go get some chairs and black coffee" (Camus 9).
3. "He left, came back, set up some chairs.  On one of them he stacked some cups around a coffee pot" (Camus 9).
4. "It was pleasant; the coffee had warmed me up" (Camus 9).
5. "I had some more coffee and milk, which was very good" (Camus 12).
6. "You have coffee in the afternoons with your friends. You even provide the coffee and sugar" (Camus 30).
7. "By the time the coffee came, my head felt heavy and I smoked a lot" (Camus 52).
8. "He said I hadn't wanted to see Maman, that I had smoked and slept some, and that I had had some coffee" (Camus 90).
9. "for the first time I realized that I was guilty.  The caretaker was asked to repeat the part about the coffee and the cigarette" (Camus 90).
10. "He hesitated and then he said that he was the one who offered me the coffee" (Camus 90).
11. "'they will conclude that a stranger may offer a cup of coffee, but that beside the body of the one who brought him into the world, a son should have refused it'" (Camus 91).
12. "I had the ridiculous feeling that they were there to judge me" (Camus 10).
13. "He simply asked, in the same weary tone, if I was sorry for what I had done.  I thought about it for a minute and said that more than sorry I felt kind of annoyed" (Camus 70).
14. "And again I almost thanked him.  But I thought that that would be ridiculous" (Camus 84).
15. "examining me closely without betraying any definable emotion.  And I had the odd impression of being watched by myself" (Camus 85).
16. "He was quiet, and I was embarrassed because I felt I shouldn't have said that" (Camus 6).

Journal 6-Questions and Answers

5 Questions
1. What does Salamano's dog represent?
2. Why does Camus create a character that is irritated when other people show emotion?
3. Why does Camus describe some things or events as colorful and not others?  When he uses figurative language or imagery, it almost always involves color.  What do colors represent?
4. Is Camus using the motifs of coffee and cigarettes as symbols for something larger?  Is it something to do with emotion?
5. Is the idea of Meursault's forehead burning and his "veins pulsing" used to signify a change in him?  Do they represent something else?

5 Answers
Shannon's blog: Camus describes everyone but the Arabs in detail to emphasize the racism felt by the French at that time, and to portray the Arabs as inferior.

Tania's blog: Camus separates the novel into two parts to show that even though Meursault's life is so different in jail, it is really the same endless pattern of meaningless events.

Anthony Nguyen's blog: Marie does contribute to the "life is pointless" theory. Camus uses Marie as an example that work doesn't get one anywhere; even though she tries to get Meursault to marry her and love her, everything is futile and he doesn't care about her at all.

Isabel's blog: Camus uses so much ambiguous language to emphasize two things: Meursault's clarity and bluntness, and also to illustrate that, since he believes life has no meaning, details and specific events don't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

Tate's blog: The repetition in Meursault's life emphasizes the futility of things; no matter what Meursault does, his life is basically the same pattern of eating, sleeping, etc. It conveys the idea that life is pointless.

Journal 5-Parts 1 & 2

I think Camus made The Stranger in two parts for two reasons that I see.  First, it's obvious that part 2 begins right after Meursault kills the Arab.  That draws attention to the shift in Meursault's life after the shooting.
Second, I think Camus draws parallels between Meursault's life before and after the climax.  For example, in both parts Meursault's life revolves around consistency and patterns.  In part 1, his life is about coffee, cigarettes, sleep, etc.  "I drank the coffee.  Then I felt like having a smoke" (Camus 8).  In part 2, when Meursault is in jail, his life is monotonous and all blurs into an endless cycle of dull days.  "it was one and the same unending day that was unfolding in my cell" (Camus 80).  Camus illustrates that even though Meursault's life has changed drastically, it's really the same.  It's like the cliche 'the more things change, the more they stay the same'.  Also, some of the same random characters are in both parts for some reason.  The strange little woman from Celeste's restaurant is also at Meursault's trial.  In part 1, "[h]er gestures were jerky and she had bright eyes in a little face like an apple[...]put her jacket back on with the same robotlike movements[...]making her way with incredible speed and assurance" (Camus 43).  In part 2, the woman is at Meursault's trial for an unknown reason.  "I recognized next to him the little woman from the restaurant, with her jacket and her stiff and determined manner" (Camus 86).  I think this woman is in the novel to illustrate someone who has a purpose in life, basically the opposite of Meursault.  I don't think she could be considered a foil, but it's interesting that Camus mentions this seemingly random character in both parts of the novel.

Journal 4-Questions

6 insightful questions about The Stranger-hopefully I don't need to speculate about answers.
1. Why does Meursault think so much about marriage in chapter 6, but seems not to care when other men objectify Marie and make comments about her body?
2. Why doesn't Meursault describe the Arabs, yet he describes Masson in detail?
3. Why isn't the color red used to describe the large amount of blood, yet is used to describe many other things that are not conventionally red? (like the sun and rocks)
4. Why does Camus make the Arab only able to play three notes on his flute?  Do they represent something else?
5. Why is Meursault's forehead burning in chapter 6 and also when his mother was buried?  What does that signify?
6. Why is the alliteration of the "s" sound used on the last page of the chapter?  Is that Camus, or is it Ward's translation?  Does it matter?  Is it supposed to be there?

Journal 3-Philosophy

Hope-ism
My philosophy is based on the belief that everything has a purpose and is for the best.  I also think that there are some things that are mysterious and shouldn't have to be explained, just accepted, and that's beautiful to me.
1. There is something good in everyone; people are naturally good, not evil.
2. People can change their own destiny/future.
3. There is a God with whom humans can have a personal relationship.
4. Life does have purpose and meaning.
5. Positive relationships are the single most important thing in life, not material things.
6. Nothing good can come from dwelling on negative things.
7. Our expectations determine how we react to and feel about everything.
My beliefs are optimistic, and I realize how naive they sound.  But I really don't see the point in going through life not believing in anything.  I don't see how negative expectations, thoughts, and attitudes make life better for anyone.  I like to believe that everything is for the best and that there is a plan for how it will work out in the end.  These beliefs have developed from my upbringing, my relationships, and from being observant of others and their beliefs.  From my experience, the people who have the most positive outlook are usually the ones who do the best in school and sports, and they are the ones who are leaders.  People like positive things.

Journal 2-L'etranger

Part 1: I believe that Matthew Ward's translation of The Stranger has the most literary value.  This is because I think that Gilbert's translation had entirely too much description.  Ward's translation uses adjectives and extensive imagery sparingly, and that is most likely how Camus wrote The Stranger.  I think that because if Camus did write his novel with as much description as Gilbert uses, then Ward would have translated it too, like Gilbert did.  I think Gilbert's style embellished Camus' novel, based on what I saw in class today.  By choosing Ward's translation, I am valuing the integrity of the character and characterization of Meursault, that he doesn't care much about the flowers, or the little villages, or the frou-frou things.  He cares about what's happening to him and not much else, it seems from Ward's translation.
Part 2: I personally would prefer the title of The Foreigner instead of The Stranger. When I first read the book, I was frustrated by not knowing who or what the stranger was.  I think that The Foreigner is more obviously a specific person.  I think that title would have  double meaning.  It would reference/represent the Arab man that Meursault shoots, and it also would emphasize that Meursault is a kind of foreigner in his own country because he is so oblivious to social norms and customs.  He is insensitive to others' feelings and has almost no empathy.  This makes him seem like a foreigner to me, someone with a different way of looking at things.  For example, at the vigil, Meursault is annoyed with how his fellow "mourners" are reacting to his mother's death.  "The woman kept on crying [...] I wished I didn't have to listen to her anymore" (10).  His lack of compassion towards the old people in the home really distances the reader from Meursault and, to me, makes him seem like a foreigner in his own world.

Journal 1-Tabbing

Tabbing for The Stranger...
Pink: motif of the color red
Green: Meursault's annoyance at others' feelings (example: he is annoyed with the crying woman at his mother's vigil)
Orange: Motif of coffee/the coffeehouse
Yellow: The symbol of the man and his dog

Journal 10-Theme

Theme: Belief in white superiority affects how black men treat their women.  They feel like they need to exercise power and force over women to demonstrate that they do have some superiority.
Quotes:
1. ""So de white man throw down de load and tell de nigger man tuh pick it up.  He pick it up because he have to, but he don't tote it.  He hand it to his womenfolks.  De nigger woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see."" (14)

2. "Been workin' for white folks all his life...He had always wanted to be a big voice, but de white folks had all de sayso where he come from and everywhere else, exceptin' dis place dat colored folks was buildin' theirselves...Let colored folks build things too if dey wants to crow over somethin'." (28)

3. ""Us colored folks is too envious of one 'nother.  Dat's how come us don't git no further than us do.  Us talks about de white man keepin' us down!  Shucks!  He don't have tuh.  Us keeps our own selves down."" (39)

4. ""Thank yuh fuh yo' compliments, but mah wife don't know nothin' 'bout no speech-makin'.  Ah never married her for nothin' lak dat.  She's uh woman and her place is in de home."" (43)

5. ""All we can do, if we want any light after de settin' or befo' de risin', is tuh make some light ourselves...De first street lamp in uh colored town...let de light penetrate inside of yuh, and let it shine."" (45)

6. "Take for instance that new house of his...he painted it--a gloaty, sparkly white...It made the village feel funny talking to him--just like he was anybody else." (47)

7. ""Ah'm uh man even if Ah is de Mayor.  But de mayor's wife is somethin' different again."" (60)

8. "She is black and she knows that white clothes look good on her, so she wears them for dress up.  She's got those big black eyes with plenty shiny white in them...It's negro hair, but it's got a kind of white flavor." (67)

9."Time came when she fought back with her tongue as best she could, but it didn't do her any good.  It just made Joe do more.  He wanted her submission and he'd keep on fighting until he felt he had it." (71)

10. ""Jody classed me off...When Ah wasn't in de store he wanted me tuh jes sit wid folded hands and sit dere.  And Ah'd sit dere wid de walls creepin' up on me and squeezin' all de life outa me.  Pheoby, dese educated women got uh heap of things to sit down and consider.  Somebody done told 'em what to set down for."" (112)

11. "It was generally assumed that she thought herself too good to work like the rest of the women and that Tea Cake "pomped her up tuh dat."" (133)

12. "...Tea Cake found her there and tried to talk.  She cut him short with a blow and they fought from one room to the other, Janie trying to beat him, and Tea Cake kept holding her wrists and wherever he could to keep her from going too far." (137)

13. "Janie's coffee-and-cream complexion and her luxurious hair made Mrs. Turner forgive her for wearing overalls like the other women who worked in the fields.  She didn't forgive her for marrying a man as dark as Tea Cake..."It's too many black folks already.  We oughta lighten up de race."" (140)

14. ""Who want any lil ole black baby layin' up in de baby buggy lookin' lak uh fly in buttermilk?  Who wants to be mixed up wid uh rusty black man, and uh black woman goin' down de street in all dem loud colors, and whoopin' and hollerin' and laughin' over nothin'?"" (141)

15. "Anyone who looked more white folkish than herself was better than she was in her criteria, therefore it was right that they should be cruel to her at times, just as she was cruel to those more negroid than herself in direct ratio to their negroness.  Like the pecking order in a chicken yard.  Insensate cruelty to those you can whip, and groveling submission to those you can't." (144)

16. "Before the week was over he had whipped Janie.  Not because her behavior justified his jealousy, but it relieved that awful fear inside him.  Being able to whip her reassured him in possession...It aroused a sort of envy in both men and women." (147)

Journal 9-Pastiche 2

           Joanna pulled herself out of the pool.  Gasping for breath, she stared at the scoreboard.  Next to her name shone a disappointing 2. 
           "YEEES!" came the shout from two lanes over.  Joanna's rival and teammate, Amy, hopped out of the water and performed a little dance.  "Good race, Joanna," she smirked.  Joanna gave her a small smile.  "Congratulations."
           This was the third year in a row that Amy had won the 100-yard freestyle at the state championships, and Joanna was sick of it.  Sick of the trash talk, sick of the losing, but most of all she was sick of the taunts.  Amy thought she could walk all over Joanna just because she was a faster swimmer.  She thought she could steal her towel in the locker room.  She thought she could tease her and psyche her out before every race. 
           "Stop it, Joanna," she scolded herself.  "Don't let her get to you."  Joanna knew that if she didn't let Amy get a rise out of her, she would stop.  But it seemed like every time this happened, Joanna blew up.  Amy thrived on it.  "Not this year," Joanna whispered.
           In the locker room, as predicted, Joanna's towel disappeared while she was in the shower. 
           "Come on, Amy, give it up.  Where did you put my towel?"  Amy grinned, satisfied.  "I don't know."
           So Joanna looked.  She calmly searched the locker room from top to bottom.  And when she was done, she was dry.  "Never mind, Amy.  I don't think I need my towel.  Thanks, though."
           Amy snickered.  "Okay, suit yourself!  I guess you'll never know where I put it."  With that, she sashayed out of the room.  Another job well done.

Theme: Judging others by comparing them to oneself gives humans a feeling of power and superiority over the judged.  I explained/revealed this theme by using three techniques that Hurston does: diction, apostrophe, and simple sentences. 
First, for diction, I chose words like 'smirked', 'snickered', and 'satisfied' to show how Amy views herself while she is judging and 'controlling' Joanna.  The diction I used, like Hurston's, reveals that Amy does feel powerful and superior to Joanna.  These words accurately describe her feelings.
Second, for apostrophe, I made Joanna talk to herself to calm herself down.  This shows her inner thoughts and it makes it obvious that Joanna is the one being judged.  Hurston also uses apostrophe to reveal characters' inner feelings.
Third and finally, I used a lot of simple sentences in this pastiche.  They are in bold, and I mostly used them to make it clear what the theme was. The simple sentences concisely describe how Amy feels when she is judging and teasing Joanna, and this helps to make the theme easier to understand.

Journal 8-Techniques

"This was a new sensation for her, but no less excruciating.  If only Tea Cake would make her certain!" (108)  The narrator is telling us Janie's inner thoughts here.  She is wondering why Tea Cake wasn't coming back to her. I think the diction, or word choice, Hurston uses in this passage is important.  Her use of the word excruciating's connotation makes me think of pain, and the word 'excruciating' is much more interesting and vivid than 'painful'.  I think this choice of diction makes the atmosphere more intense and the reader feels the pain more than if Hurston had just used 'painful' or something equally as bland.  It makes the reader realize how intense Janie's feelings are for Tea Cake.

"So he didn't come that night and she laid in bed and pretended to think scornfully of him.  'Bet he's hangin' round some jook or 'nother.  Glad Ah treated him cold.  Whut do Ah want wid some trashy nigger out de streets?  Bet he's livin' wid some woman or 'nother and takin' me for uh fool.  Glad Ah caught myself in time.'  She tried to console herself that way." (106)  Here, Janie is literally talking to herself and wondering about Tea Cake.  Hurston's use of apostrophe here gives the reader more insight into what Janie is thinking than if she simply told us her thoughts.  By having Janie talk to herself in bed, she shows us what Janie is thinking and what she is saying to herself in the same passage.  It allows the reader more intimacy with the character of Janie.

"Janie wanted to ask Hezekiah about Tea Cake, but she was afraid he might misunderstand her and think she was interested.  In the first place he looked too young for her.  Must be around twenty-five and here she was around forty.  Then again he didn't look like he had too much.  Maybe he was hanging around to get in with her and strip her of all that she had.  Just as well if she never saw him again. He was probably the kind of man who lived with various women but never married.  Fact is, she decided to treat him so cold if he ever did foot the place that he'd be sure not to come hanging around there again." (100)  In this first paragraph of chapter 11, Janie is starting to be more interested in Tea Cake.  Hurston uses simple sentences in this paragraph.  Most of the sentences have the same structure.  They don't have commas and they start with words that aren't subjects or verbs, like 'maybe', 'just', and 'must'.  Her use of simple sentences makes Janie's thoughts seem more concise, like she had been thinking about them for a while, and the reader gets a clearer picture of what is in Janie's mind.

Journal 7-Pastiche

Finally Mary contemplated confidence.  Confidence, that elusive creature with the shifting eyes who lived just out of reach.  The slippery one who briefly lived in the hearts of bold men.  For why would Confidence need a home, when he depends on no one?  He pops in and out of his many dwellings, gracing his hosts with his presence.  Waits calm and patient at the ready, wishing for some brave soul to summon him.  Been lurking there, then leaving and returning and going again.  With luck, she would find a scale from his fin on her skin one day.  She was nervous and worried now.  Shy Robby!  He shouldn't hafta encourage her when he had his own problems.  She wanted Joe to boost Robby's faith, but he said no.  These issues must be worked out alone.  He'd be fine once his courage showed itself.  He wouldn't lose his cool.  At least, that's what he believed.  But Joe said the contrary, so she knew the real outcome.  Even if he hadn't, the next day she would know for sure, because people started to whisper and laugh and the faith fled to the cold, dark waters.  Fears that wouldn't have risked showing themselves in the light darted out into the dim depths.  Just crouched there and mocked.  Doubt, that crippling whisper, had stolen another chance.

To match Hurston's writing style, I used(besides the same sentence structure) alliteration and interesting verbs.  I think the pastiche is kind of vague, too, a lot like how Hurston is vague throughout her whole novel.

Journal 6-Death

"Death, that strange being with the huge square toes who lived way in the West.  The great one who lived in the straight house like a platform without sides to it, and without a roof.  What need has Death for a cover, and what winds can blow against him?  He stands in his high house that overlooks the world.  Stands watchful and motionless all day with his sword drawn back, waiting for the messenger to bid him come.  Been standing there before there was a where or a when or a then.  She was liable to find a feather from his wings lying in her yard any day now.  She was sad and afraid too.  Poor Jody!  He ought not to have to wrassle in there by himself.  She sent Sam in to suggest a visit, but Jody said No.  These medical doctors wuz all right with the Godly sick, but they didn't know a thing about a case like his.  He’d be all right just as soon as the two-headed man found what had been buried against him.  He wasn’t going to die at all.  That was what he thought.  But Sam told her different, so she knew.  And then if he hadn’t, the next morning she was bound to know, for people began to gather in the big yard under the palm and china-berry trees.  People who would not have dared to foot the place before crept in and did not come to the house.  Just squatted under the trees and waited.  Rumor, that wingless bird, had shadowed over the town.”

• Personification of Death.  Creates the sense that death is a person with a mind of his own.
• Repeats the motif of power.  This reinforces the idea that humans are not in power and they do not control worldly affairs.
• Repeats the motif of wind.  This has basically the same effect as the mention of power, as the wind is a symbol of power over people on Earth.
• Capitalizes the word no.  Emphasizes Jody's decision and his aggressiveness, even on his deathbed.
• Uses the phrase "two-headed man", which raises the question, who is the two-headed man, death or Jody or someone else?
• Many words describe time.  Time is a motif throughout the novel, and using it in a passage about death emphasizes how little time we have on Earth, and the inevitability of death.
• Lots of words about trees and nature.  Nature is a repeated idea throughout the novel.  Its use in this passage brings out the idea that death is natural and humans cannot control it.
• Uses words to create a sense of solidarity.  The words Hurston chose to describe death make it seem strong and immovable, reinforcing the idea that death is inevitable.
• Personification of rumor.  This expresses Hurston's idea that rumors have a life of their own.
• Use of the word "people" is very vague.  This creates the effect of anonymity, and makes it seem like it doesn't really matter who the people are.
• Hurston uses a little bit of dialect in this passage.  The use of dialect emphasizes Janie's emotions and how strong they are.

Journal 5-Thesis

Zora Neale Hurston uses wind as a symbol to personify the power of a higher being over people and nature.  Hurston does this to express the futility of humans trying to be in power, because the higher power will always be in control of their fate. 

Journal 4-Patterns

PATTERN 1
References to mules appear a lot in the novel, specifically in the case of an actual mule and its relationship to the people in the town.
Nanny is the first to compare black women to mules.
"De nigger woman is de mule uh de world so far as Ah can see." (14)
Then the literal mule appears in the novel, and Hurston writes a lot about what the mule is like.
"There would be more stories about how poor the brute was; his age; his evil disposition and his latest caper.  Everybody indulged in mule talk." (53)
"...he had more spirit left than body...Everyone was having fun at the mule-baiting.  All but Janie." (56)

PATTERN 2
Hurston writes a lot about nature, but I noticed that a lot of her imagery involves wind and what wind does.  She also compares certain characters to wind.
""He's a whirlwind among breezes," Jeff Bruce threw in.
           "Speakin' of winds, he's de wind and we'se de grass.  We bend which ever way he blows,"" (49)
"...de mule wuz dead in behind 'im and gainin' on 'im every jump, when all of a sudden de wind changed and blowed de mule way off his course, him bein' so poor and everything...." (53)
"She was a wind on the ocean.  She moved men, but the helm determined the port." (70)

PATTERN 3
Along the same vein as wind, Hurston refers to petals and buds a lot to describe Janie and her feelings.
"From barren brown stems to glistening leaf-buds; from the leaf-buds to snowy virginity of bloom.  It stirred her tremendously." (10)
"She had glossy leaves and bursting buds..." (11)
After Jody slaps Janie, she doesn't love him much anymore.  Hurston says, "She wasn't petal-open anymore with him." (71)

Journal 3-Dialect

PART 1-Harlem Renaissance person
Louis Armstrong was a famous trumpet player and wonderful singer.  He was one of the first African-Americans to become famous in a segregated, racist country.  Armstrong helped to make jazz and scat singing more popular.  He helped facilitate the Harlem Renaissance because he lived and performed in Harlem, and he is known by many as the king of jazz.
PART 2-dialect
Pronunciation: "o" is pronounced "a"in many cases (doll becomes dall), "l"s and "r"s become "w"s, and "ie" also is pronounced "a" (friend becomes frand)
Grammar: adjectives after nouns, no verb conjugation, no plural objects
Vocabulary: "down cellar" = basement
                   "sack of potatoes" = child
                   "frindle" = pen or pencil
PART 3-conversation
"Step into my office," said Louis.
"Why be I hew?" asked John the alien.
Louis, shining his trumpet, replied, "What were you doing in your basement at 11:30 last night?"
"Well, I is dawn cewaw just twy ta find my fwindle..." John the alien answered cautiously.
"I have reports that you were attempting to abduct a child and take him to your planet," Louis said, still admiring his shiny trumpet.
"Oh, uh, I think there is some undewstanding serious, because I do nawt knaw why a sack af patatoes is in my cewaw," John said.
Louis scoffed, "Oh, John the alien, you have so much to learn.  I can see everything you do in your 'cewaw'."
"Ahhhh," John said, "is that what that camera shiny do dawn there?"
"Yes, John, it is," Louis replied.
"Do you fand out abaut the...aperation?" John asked apprehensively.
"Your 'secret' plan to study human children?" asked Louis.
"Ah, uh, yah, I guess ya do," said John, wondering about his fate.
Louis, now peering into the trumpet, sighed.  "John the alien, you're going to have to go on trial for attempted abduction."
"Naw, but Louis, I isn't gonna take the chald wittle, I is just gonna study him!" John cried.
Louis turned to John the alien and said, "Oh, I give up.  Go study the children if you must, I am busy creating wonderful music."

Journal 2-Analytic

"It was a spring afternoon in West Florida.  Janie had spent most of the day under a blossoming pear tree in the back-yard.  She had been spending every minute that she could steal from her chores under that tree for the last three days.  That was to say, ever since the first tiny bloom had opened.  It had called her to come and gaze on a mystery.  From barren brown stems to glistening leaf-buds; from the leaf-buds to snowy virginity of bloom.  It stirred her tremendously.  How?  Why?  It was like a flute song forgotten in another existence and remembered again.  What?  How?  Why?  This singing she heard that had nothing to do with her ears.  The rose of the world was breathing out smell.  It followed her through all her waking moments and caressed her in her sleep.  It connected itself with other vaguely felt matters that had struck her outside observation and buried themselves in her flesh.  Now they emerged and quested about her consciousness."

Decisions are highlighted, bolded, etc.

•  Many words related to blooming
•  Several other "b" sounds
•  Decision to write short, quick questions
•  More vague words, like on page 1
•  Personification of the tree
•  words about touch, action, etc. 
•  Decision to add a lot of setting details
•  bringing in the motif of time
•  gentle tone
•  description of senses
•  Fairly short, descriptive sentences
•  Calm rhythm
•  Lots of figurative language
•  Describes remembering and forgetting again, like on page 1
•  Lots of descriptive verbs (struck, emerged, quested)
•  In the middle of the paragraph, lots of "f" sounds

Journal 1-Reflective

If I was telling my life story, I think I would tell it to someone I trust and know pretty well, but who isn't a really good friend of mine.  I don't have a specific person in mind, but I would want it to be a way to get closer to someone I want to know better.  I think I would start the story at the summer when I went on a cruise in the Mediterranean with my grandparents.  The two weeks I spent away from home with no contact to my immediate family were really valuable to me.  I think that being basically on my own for a while at age thirteen was a  really good way for me to become independent and figure out more about myself.  My grandparents pretty much let me do my own thing, and I learned some good life lessons those two weeks.  I met lots of brand-new people and had to make friends with many of them quickly, something I think is a good skill to have in high school.  I also learned more about how to think for myself and make my own decisions instead of letting my parents do it for me, and I think that is something that I need to have to succeed in the future.  Finally, it was a really educational trip, and since I experienced a lot of different cultures, I became more understanding of other types of people.  I think that's when my life as an independent person and thinker began, so I would start there if I was telling my life story.