Family Ties

The Death of Ivan Illyich, written by Leo Tolstoy, reminds me very much of my maternal grandfather. Grandpa English was a very successful otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat surgeon). Ever since he was young, he decided that he was going to be successful. While he was in college, Dr. English met a young woman named Carol Baker over a Bunsen burner. They got married and had three children together. Grandma always wanted to travel, but never had the opportunity to before she died a year and a half ago. Grandpa defines himself as a doctor. When he was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor six years ago, he was no longer allowed to practice medicine. He constantly complains about how the doctors who helped him were not empathetic to his problems. Grandpa is also always talking about how he will soon return to his practice, which is simply impossible. He has severe dementia, and is unable to walk around the house without falling at least once a day. Grandpa never considered himself a family man, and constantly defined himself as a doctor. This led to issues within his family. I see incredible comparisons between Ivan Illyich and my grandfather.

Ivan Illyich was also extremely self-centered. He simply thought that a family was important because of a social position. Ivan Illyich did not really have any love between he and his wife either. At the end of his life, no one really mourned his death other than his own son. I think that this is important because this novel shows the importance of family. It proves that if you are loved by those around you, you will be remembered for generations. If you do not work to make good memories with those around you, younger generations will not tell stories about you. I believe that it is human nature to want to make a legacy for oneself; this can be achieved by creating a family and being loved.

Another similarity between Ivan Illyich and my grandfather was how they discovered their illnesses: by accident. I think that this represents blindness in their lives. They are both so determined to further their career that they do not wish to see the truth in their lives. Jay Fielder was correct in saying during our discussion yesterday that it was ironic that Ivan Illyich was hanging drapes when he fell and discovered his illness because it is like he is closing out everyone around him.

Ivan Illyich and my grandfather share frighteningly similar characteristics. They both are too self-involved to realize what is going on around them. Both of them will not be long remembered because they do not take the time to share in the happiness’s with their families. (454)

Ismene and Antigone: Women Beyond Their Time

Heroes in novels are often strong-willed, and show some sort of characteristic that is quick thinking, and use their feelings and gut instincts to guide them from action to action. People who worry are often not in the spot light because they rarely act in a manner that is extremely interesting to an audience. In Sophocles’ play Antigone, I relate to both sisters. Antigone is hot-headed, self-confident, and stands up for what she believes. Yet, throughout the play, she acts almost detached from her family to prove her point. When Antigone and her sister, Ismene, are arguing at the beginning of the play about burying their brother, Polynices, Antigone has already made up her mind that her sister will not help her in the act, and she becomes cruel while Ismene still reaches out for her love. When Ismene tells Antigone that she will keep the fact that Antigone has buried Polynices quiet as long as she can, Antigone replies, “Dear god, shout it from the rooftops. I’ll hate you / all the more for silence—tell the world!” (100-01). Antigone is so caught up in her martyrdom that she will not even listen to Ismene’s pleas for Antigone’s safety. Antigone’s actions are noble, but they are done with no regard for those who love her. Ismene is still trying to reach out to her sister at the end of their argument saying, “go if you must, but rest assured, / wild, irrational as your are my sister, / you are truly dear to the ones who love you,” (114-16). Antigone goes on to fight the king, her uncle, Creon. She tells him flat out that the law forbidding people to bury or even mourn her brother is, as she believes, against what the gods want for any man. Creon believes that he clears himself of guilt by barricading Antigone in a cave, this way he has not killed her, but it is still guaranteed that she will die unmarried, but he can never strip her of her honor. I admire Antigone for her actions, but though I can relate to her self-confidence, I can not understand how easily her decisions come to her. I am always worrying about the little things, and though I can make decisions, I try to think them over before taking the plunge.

A character that does not get enough attention in the play Antigone is Antigone’s sister, Ismene. Ismene seems to me to embody a loving and caring figure, very similar to that of a mother. Yes, at this time Ismene’s character would probably be considered “acceptable” for that of a woman. Creon does not agree with the free thoughts of women, as he tells his son Haemon, “a worthless woman / in your house, a misery in your bed,” (725-26). Ismene understands this mentality, and she only wants to keep her family safe. She tells Antigone in the beginning of the play, “Remember, we are women, / we’re not born to contend with men. Then too, / we’re underlings, ruled by much stronger hands, / so we must submit in this, and things still worse,” (74-7). Ismene understands the way that the world was ruled at that time. I completely understand where Ismene is coming from in not wanting Antigone to break the law. She has lost all of her family, she only wants to see Antigone safe and happy. She believes that if she stands up to Antigone that maybe this time when it is important, Antigone will listen to her. She knows when she is apposing Antigone that she is going to be met with angry words because she has grown up with Antigone. Ismene is also the first one to apologize. She tries to make it up to Antigone by taking the blame with her.

Antigone never really forgives Ismene for not acting with her. Antigone is a very closed-minded person in a way. She does not take a moment to look and see where Ismene might be coming from with not helping her. Even when Ismene tries to reach out to Antigone, Antigone has made up her mind. It is very hard to reach out to someone who does not want to hear your opinion. Antigone had completely made up her mind that Ismene was wrong in her actions as soon as she would not help her. Ismene, though not as daring, in her own way still made a difference, she embodied a girl who simply wanted the best for her family. She is more of a traditional woman from the time, and I believe that she best shows the gender of women of the time. (777)

Oedipus the King

During class today, I asked the question: “Is Oedipus’ rage driven by his quest to help the people and the greater good, or is it simply his temper that drives him to act with such fury towards Tiresias?” As I read the first reading from Oedipus the King, I was shocked when Oedipus lost his temper with Tiresias. It seemed to me that not only was he trying to help his people and that his frustration had finally peaked, but also that part of him simply snapped. He was completely unwilling to accept that he could have killed the king, Laius. Still curious whether Oedipus had, as it seemed to me, simply become angry because he did not want to hear the truth that Tiresius spoke, I looked to the next reading for my answers. As I read the next twenty pages of reading, fury and confusion, and finally revelation jumped from the pages. Oedipus first accused his brother-in-law, Creon, of plotting against him. He cruelly yells at his brother in law, and the climax of the scene happens on page 194 when Creon asks Oedipus, “What do you want? / You want me banished?” Oedipus cruelly replies, “No, I want you dead.” Oedipus has passed his point of helping the people to acting on sheer anger alone. When Creon asks Oedipus on page 195 what will happen if he is completely wrong, Oedipus comes back saying, “No matter–I must rule.” Oedipus’ rage no longer stems from his vow to help his people, but it now shifts to a need for power and control. Oedipus is brought back into check by his wife, Jocasta, who helps him to control his anger and brings him to a realization of his true birth.

At the beginning of the play, I was completely drawn into the story because of the fact that, as we can assume, everyone knows the story of Oedipus. Sophocles uses this fact to set up the play. The audience and reader are watching the story unfold knowing that Oedipus killed his father and slept with his mother. While we listen to Oedipus declare that he is not the killer to Tiresius as he is screaming insults at his back, we are all cringing because we know that the blind man speaks the truth. This dramatic irony leaves for a sickening feeling as we can see the tragic hero heading for his demise blinding, and we have no way of stopping him. It is interesting to me to be the second party, looking in. It is almost like when I have an out-of-body experience, and can somehow step outside myself and watch myself walking through my life. I felt an attachment to Oedipus, and though throughout the play, I had a strange span of emotions that lead me to think of him differently, I still sympathized with Oedipus up until the end. Yes, his actions in part of the play were uncalled for, and had no evidence to back him up, but I can see where he is coming from in his assumptions. Being a hot-tempered person myself, I can see how Oedipus could not look outside the box and outside of his emotions to understand the truth until the end of the play.

As I finished the play, I finally fully understood the true horror of the story of Oedipus. Before, I had considered the story revolting, not understanding how a man could even stand to sleep with his mother, and kill his father. I thought of him as cold-hearted, but I believe that Sophocles did a beautiful job of depicting this story. When Jocasta went running from the scene, screaming, I had no idea that she was about to kill herself. The agony that the prophecy caused was too great for me to bear. I felt the sorrow that Jocasta felt as she understood the truth of the story at last. As Oedipus to the pins from her hair, I was again unsure of what he would do. I figured that he would beg to be killed. When he gouged out his own eyes, I let out a sharp breath. I believe that Oedipus should not have punished himself in this way. Yes, what he did was wrong, but his did not know of his wrong doings. Why should he have to suffer so by his own hand because of something that he did not realize? The story of Oedipus is cruel and sickening, but looking at it from the point of view that it was presented in made me really think about the pain that it really caused for the people. (776)

Essence of Humanity

Reader can be completely drawn into a story. They leave their surrounding and throw themselves into the people and places in a novel. Readers can feel an entire spectrum of emotions from paper with ink dabbed on the pages. How is it possible that for hundreds of years books have enthralled people? How can characters in seem so real? People relate to characters in a book. They wan to find a way to compare a character’s life with their own. It is a characters essential human quality that allows a reader to relate to them: their flaws. Most people do not want to read a story where the characters are perfect. Those who do can read a story about a little girl who finds a pony and they go frolicking off into the rainbow together in happiness for the rest of their lives. Characters flaws can be especially seen in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice.

Perhaps it is the title of the novel, but before even opening the book, I had the feeling that the novel would include a clashing of emotions. Elizabeth is constantly too sure of herself, making judgments on people before she has had the chance to know them. She is sharp with most people, especially those who have fallen out of her favor. She has a deep loving compassion for her family, but is still harsh to point out their faults. The only person who is exempt of any biting remark is her sister Jane. Though Elizabeth is the protagonist of the book, I find her mother to be one of the most interesting, and most human characters.

Mrs. Bennet is a woman who plays up her martyr role as much as possible. Her one objective in life is to marry off her five daughters as quickly as possible to very rich men. Though she means well for the most part, Mrs. Bennet can generally see only herself. She is constantly screeching at her husband, Mr. Bennet, even in the very first pages of the novel. On the second page, Mrs. Bennet is trying to persuade Mr. Bennet to go and talk with Mr. Bingley so that one of her daughters may fall in love with them. By the end of the conversation, she grows tired saying, “Mr. Bennet, how can you abuse your own children in such a way? You delight in vexing me. Have you no compassion of my poor nerves?” Mrs. Bennet’s ways of getting what she wants is to whine, complain, and use other people’s emotions to her advantage. She is manipulative. This flaw is what makes her so incredibly realistic throughout the novel.

Human qualities are complex and difficult to capture. It amazes me that authors are able to observe the world around them enough to view the serious character flaws that create such interesting problems throughout a story. Without character flaws, literature would not be something of interest. As humans, we look for something wrong in people. Without a flaw, it is impossible for us to connect to a character of any sort. (514)

Nicolas et les Petits Copains

I just changed my blog title from “Deby’s Dancing Days” to “Deby et les Petits Histoires.” I created the title from a summer reading French book Nicolas et les Petits Copains. I loved this book. It is about a little boy who tells about the sort of mischief that he and his friends find while they are about elementary school age. As Madame says, Nicolas is like the French “Dennis the Menace.”

The book is a bunch of small stories clumped together into a children’s chapter book. One of my favorite chapters was Marie-Edwige. Nicolas invites all of his friends from school to come over to his house and have a snack with him. He also invites Marie-Edwige. When he tells his friends, they are outraged – as young boys are – because they don’t play with girls! I kept thinking about coodies as they chattered among themselves about the fact that they won’t play with girls. When Marie-Edwige arrives, all of the boys go silent. Nicolas’ mother then sets them all at the table, and serves them their chocolate cake. The boys begin to compete to see who can eat their cake the fastest. Marie-Edwige, of course the most proper of little girls, takes little bites. By the end of the chapter, the boys are climbing trees, doing summersaults, and fighting amongst themselves.

This book is similar to the Children’s Book of Virtues in that it teaches a lesson with each chapter. Marie-Edwige teaches children to include everyone, even if it is more fun to play with just your friends, because in the end it may come back to bite you in the bud, just like it did for Nicolas. He was invited to Marie-Edwige’s birthday party, and he was the only boy there. He sat in a corner by himself the entire time. This charming book of stories seemed like it teaches such good lessons for all people.

My hope is that my blog will have the same amount of humor and curiosity that Nicolas and his friends possess. I also thought it was particularly appropriate as French is one of my favorite subjects to create a title that was in French. No offense Mr. Coon, I am thoroughly enjoying your English class, but French is one of my passions, and it has been for over five years. Hopefully this title will suit my blog. Till next time, à bientôt! (404)