Assignment #10--Oedipus

The play “Oedipus the King” is a drama that is full with of irony. Oedipus had tried to get rid of his fate that he would kill his real father and get marry with his real mother, Iocaste. However, He could not escape from his terrible fate. And the play makes full about theme of sight, truth, ignorance and darkness.

Teiresias holds the key to the link between sight and blindness - for even though he is blind, he can still see and predict the future. At the end of the play, moreover, Oedipus blinds himself, because what he has metaphorically seen leaves him unable to face his family or his parents in the afterlife. As with the previous theme, sight and blindness operates both literally and metaphorically within the play. Indeed, literal sight is juxtaposed with "insight" or "foresight".

Teiresias also serves an additional role—his blindness augments the dramatic irony that governs the play. Teiresias is blind but can see the truth; Oedipus has his sight but cannot. Oedipus claims that he longs to know the truth; Teiresias says that seeing the truth only brings one pain. He can make predictions. He also knows the truth about Oedipus' identity, but the old seer doesn't want to reveal this painful reality.

When Oedipus discovers the awful truths, he gouges out his eyes, thus physically blinding himself to the reality around him; he cannot bear to look at the children he has sired, knowing they are his half-siblings.

The play is full of references to sight and truth, to ignorance and darkness imagery. All of these reinforce Sophocles' ideas about truth being a matter of perception.

Blog #9 assignment: Free choice

The play “Oedipus the King” is a drama that is full with of irony. Oedipus had tried to get rid of his fate that he would kill his real father and get marry with his real mother, Iocaste. However, He could not escape from his terrible fate. This play shows how people in this story try to escape their fate and how it is no use because in the end, what the oracles predict comes true.

King Oedipus, aware that a terrible curse has befallen Thebes, sends his brother-in-law, Creon, to seek the advice of Apollo. Creon informs Oedipus that the curse will be lifted if the murderer of Laius, the former king who murdered many years ago, is found and prosecuted. Oedipus dedicates himself to the discovery and prosecution of Laius’s murderer. And he found Teiresias who is a blind prophet and informs Oedipus that Oedipus himself killed Laius. Oedipus goes on to question a messenger and a shepherd, Oedipus and Iocasta finally knew how he was abandoned as an infant and adopted by a new family. In a moment of insight, Iocasta realizes that she is Oedipus’s mother and that Laius was his father. Horrified at what has happened, she kills herself. Oedipus, too, realizes that he was Laius’s murder and that he’s been married to and having children with his mother. In horror and despair, he gouges his eyes out and is exiled from Thebes.

What Oedipus did for himself is right because he was such a confident person who attempt to fight with his fate all though it would be a dreadful and unbearable ending. In the story there are many occasions in which people try to escape their fate. Oedipus tried to away from his fate but he actually went into his unavoidable fate. I believe that this play is clear that the purpose of this Greek tragedy was to show how fate can not be escaped and that your destiny is planned by the gods and nothing you do can change this. This also shows that although you may know your destiny, you can not do anything to change it and if you do, you will be punished by the gods.

Blog #8 assignment: Poems

Tell all the Truth but tell it slant

Emily Dickinson

Tell all the Truth but tell it slant---
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth's superb surprise
As Lightening to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind---

The poem “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant” by Emily Dickinson could be used reader-response criticism to analyze it. Reader-response criticism attempts to describe what happens in the reader’s mind while interpreting a text. When I first looked at the poem, I came up with some experience from my real life. I realized that the poem was talking about what the smart way is to tell the truth so that people who would hear the truth could not be shocked by the truth and easier accept the truth.

Depending on the poem, it could be interpreted in a way like that: To tell the outright truth is too much for people to handle. Surprising someone with the truth is like a child seeing lightning for the first time and trying to explain to them why it is the way it is. The truth has to be gradually told or the person or people that the truth is being told to will be shocked. So to 'slant' the truth isn't to tell a lie but to tell the truth little by little.

The poem is short but it shows how the “tell it slant” is working for by using an example of “As Lightening to the Children.” When children first see lighting they are shocked by it and it must be explained “Gradually” as same as “slowly”. You will not want to tell a child right that the lightening is fast moving electron particles that are created by hot and cold air moving together or something like that. The children would not understand. Also, when you are explaining right away that the lightning is dangerous and may cause damage, children will be scared by what you are saying to them. As a result, we have to teach children slowly about lightning and as they grow up they will understand what lightning is.

Though it is a short poem, there are key phrases which make us to think and image this poem. “Circuit lie” does not mean to lie instead means “slant” which is an indirectly way to tell the truth. Because we humans have "infirm Delight," we are incapable of understanding all the truth at once. “Explanation kind” and “dazzle gradually” shows us that we not only tell the truth slant but also can tell it step by step or little by little; both are good for dealing with the outright truth.

Blog #7 assignment

Wenhui Luo
ENG102. 0826
Professor: Dr. Luke Vasileiou
04 May 2010

The Transformation of Jimmy Cross

Jimmy Cross is the main character in the story “The Things They Carried” written by Tim O’ Brien who was drafted into U.S. Army and served as an infantryman in Vietnam. At the beginning of the story, O’ Brien showed us that Jimmy Cross is the First Lieutenant and loved a girl named Martha. These two points will lead us to the understanding of how Jimmy Cross changed in the story which included both transformation of his mind and his action. Jimmy Cross transformed from a man who deeply loved Martha and paid little attention to the war into a responsible leader who cared much more for his men than he did for Martha.

To be a leader in a war was meaningless to Jimmy Cross compared to the love he had for Martha. In the story, O’ Brien mentioned how Jimmy Cross carried letters written from Martha and two of her photographs instead of carrying necessities of war. This showed that Martha was much more important to Jimmy even though he became a team leader and was facing the cruel war which might take away his life. He kept her letters with him though they were not love letters. His thought about whether Martha was a virgin when he was watching the night because he had loved her so much. Jimmy hoped Martha loved him the way he loved her. In addition, when Lieutenant Cross moved to the tunnel, he showed little concentration on his task and instead thought about Martha. “And then suddenly, without willing it, he was thinking about Martha,” (O’ Brien 397) and “Lieutenant Cross gazed at the tunnel. But he was not there. He was buried with Martha under the white sand at the Jersey shore…” (397) are evidences that Jimmy Cross’ mind was full of Martha and could hold nothing more in his mind but disregard the duty of being a leader in a war.

Ted Lavender’s death was a turning point that caused Jimmy Cross to become a responsible leader. Jimmy always thought he loved Martha more than anything, more than his men; however, things had changed since Ted Lavender, one of his men, was shot. O’ Brien depicted Jimmy Cross’ psychological warfare by using Kiowa, the only one character in the story who saw Lavender’s death. Every time Kiowa mentioned how Lavender died, Jimmy Cross felt pain and found himself trembling. In fact, there was a scale in Cross’ mind; either to be a responsible leader and take care of his men or continue to think about Martha, day and night, during the war. Obviously, Jimmy could not choose both because the cruel war did not allow him to handle both at the same time which we see when Cross handles the tunnel duty. As O’ Brien described Jimmy Cross “He felt shame. He hated himself. He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war, ” (399) we realize that Jimmy Cross was able to accept the heavy duty as a leader. Also, from Kiowa’s words, “The lieutenant’s in some deep hurt. I mean that crying jag---the way he was carrying on---it wasn’t fake or anything, it was real heavy-duty hurt. The man cares,” (399) the man cares in Cross’ mind was taking over the love he had for Martha due to deep grief and Jimmy blaming himself for the death of Ted Lavender. In other words, the scale in Cross’ mind was being heavily weighted on becoming a leader to take care his men after Lavender died.

Burning Martha’s letters and photographs is the climax of Jimmy Cross’ transformation. As we know, Martha’s letters and photographs were the most important things Jimmy Cross carried. The burning of these two things when it was raining was a symbol of what a difficult decision Jimmy had to make for which he had to stop thinking about Martha. At that moment, Jimmy tried to erase Martha, his best care, or the thing from another world which was not related to the war. He needed a strong will to make up his mind especially facing the person he had so much care for. What could maintain his will? It was grief and guilt. Such a grievous and guilty feeling was so deep in Cross’ heart that caused him to choose to forget Martha by burning her letters and photographs in order to force himself to become a responsible leader. After Jimmy burned Martha’s letters and photographs, he finally comprehended that “she wasn’t involved. She signed the letters Love, but it wasn’t love, and all the fine lines and technicalities did not matter. Virginity was no longer an issue, (402).” “Lieutenant Jimmy Cross reminded himself that his obligation was not to be loved but to lead,” (403) he would never make the same mistake and never daydream about Martha in the Jersey shoreline. At the end, he got rid of his innocent love. He truly became a soldier and transformed his role.

Jimmy Cross transformed from the beginning to the end of the story. He thought Martha was the most important thing in his life than anything else. However, he was a round character who changed after Ted Lavender died. This turning point led Jimmy Cross to look closely at himself and later burn Martha’s letters and photographs. In conclusion, Jimmy Cross first loved Martha more and cared less for his men and then transformed into a man who wanted to be a good leader and fulfill his duties--the man cares.

Blog #6 assignment

So far, I like the style of this class. Actually, I am really not good at writing due to the lower level of English skill I have. First of all, I have to say that I like this Blog rather than writing more paper that I have to write in formal format. I felt more comfortable when I was answering the question in the Blog. Because I knew other classmates would read my Blog, I desire to choose something that would be very interesting for others in order to catch their more attention and show how many hard work I have paid on the assignment. But most of time, I would write what I have been known and have been understood. During the process of reading classmates’ Blogs, it helped me understand the text and article easier. Again, my English level is so low that I actually could not get and take much useful information and notes about the text by only discussing in the class. However, by using this Blog, everybody wrote down their points about the questions or text so that I could read it and use more time to understand both what questions and text concern about.

When I was known I have to write ten Blog assignments, I thought I would drop this course because I thought it would be too much work for me in this course and I could not handle it. However, when I finished the first, second and third blog, I totally changed my mind because the Blog assignments were not that difficult as I thought if I paid attention on the discussion in class. I realized that Blog assignments were easier than the papers I have written in ENG101 but much helpful for improving my English skill. Overall, the Blog in this ENG102 course makes the class much active and not that boring and difficult comparing with the regular five-papers-assignment ENG class.

Assignment #5

"I Believe I Can Fly" is a 1996 song by R&B singer R. Kelly. The song was written, produced and performed by R. Kelly. It was featured in the 1996 motion picture Space Jam. It is also the first English song in my life and is always my favorite song. When I was ten years old, I have not yet learned English in my native country. I don’t even know what the song was meaning about; however, I was deeply moved by the melody of this song. The song was filled with an attitude with positive and optimistic which make me feel hopeful about my future. “I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky” was so meaningful for my school life because I always thought nothing is impossible as long as I have paid my effort. This song is just like a belief that always encourages me to face both good and hard time in my life.

I Believe I Can Fly - R. Kelly

I used to think that I could not go on

And life was nothing but an awful song

But now I know the meaning of true love

I'm leaning on the everlasting arms

If I can see it, then I can do it

If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe I can fly

I believe I can touch the sky

I think about it every night and day

Spread my wings and fly away

I believe I can soar

I see me running through that open door

I believe I can fly

I believe I can fly

I believe I can fly

See I was on the verge of breaking down

Sometimes silence can seem so loud

There are miracles in life I must achieve

But first I know it starts inside of me, oh

If I can see it, then I can be it

If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe I can fly

I believe I can touch the sky

I think about it every night and day

Spread my wings and fly away

I believe I can soar

I see me running through that open door

I believe I can fly

I believe I can fly

I believe I can fly

Hey, cuz I believe in me, oh

If I can see it, then I can do it

If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe I can fly

I believe I can touch the sky

I think about it every night and day

Spread my wings and fly away

I believe I can soar

I see me running through that open door

I believe I can fly

I believe I can fly

I believe I can fly

Hey, if I just spread my wings

I can fly

I can fly

I can fly, hey

If I just spread my wings

I can fly

Fly-eye-eye