Medea: Journal 6

The chorus is different in Medea than in Oedipus because they show pity and sympathy for Medea right away in the beginning of the story. However, in Oedipus, the chorus calls on the gods for help most of the time, and it is not until the end that they show pity for Oedipus.
The role of the chorus has to do with the fact that they show pity for Medea right from the beginning of the story. This creates the depressed tone, which contributes to making the audience feel pity and sympathy for Medea and her situation. The chorus also talks many times about the inequality of women and men, and how the men do not respect the women. This contributes to the understanding of the perspective of a woman. The chorus is able to give insight into a woman's position in this society.

Medea: Journal 5

One way that Sophocles evokes fear and pity is with the way everything is described. For example, Medea's gaze is described as "bull-mad". This shows how she is ready to strike at anything and anyone. This creates the feeling of fear. The fact that she looks at her children with that gaze evokes even more fear along with pity as well for both Medea and her two boys.
In Medea, there is also a lot of rhyming. There is a rhythm to the writing that the reader can feel inside of themselves. I think because the reader is able to feel the rhythm, it gives them another sort of connection to the story. I believe that this is why the reader is able to feel fear and pity for Medea and her family.
The significance of all of the techniques that Sophocles is that with all of them combined together, the audience is able to feel an extreme pain, fear, and pity for the characters in the story. This is essentially what creates the tragedy.

Oedipus the King: Journal 4

"O lord of the stormcloud, you who twirl the lightning, Zeus, Father, thunder Death to nothing!" (Pg. 170).

The chorus, representing the people of Thebes, are always calling on the gods. For example, here, when they call on Zeus to rid the city of corruption. Zeus is only one of the many gods that they call to on page 170 and throughout the entire play. It is interesting to compare how Oedipus looks at himself as being able to rid the city of all the corruption himself, but the people still call to the gods instead of to him.

"You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers" (Pg. 171).

Oedipus tries to get the people to trust in him. He believes that he is able to cure the city of all disease and misfortune. However, throughout the rest of the play, the people continue to call on the gods for help in their terrible situation. This reveals the nature of the relationship between Oedipus and his citizens. The people do not truly believe in him to be able to rid the city of its corruption. They still believe the gods to be all powerful over him.

Oedipus Journal 3

What are the gender roles that Sophocles establishes for men and women? Based on Jocasta's response to her husband and brother, do you think she is a strong model of how women should act or is she a warning to women? What about Oedipus' or Creon's actions? How do the genders speak to each other and how do they speak to themselves?

Women, based on seeing the role of Jocasta, seem to have a lot of respect in society. Oedipus speaks respectfully to her and even does not mind hearing her opinion. However, he becomes so desperate to learn about his birth that he refuses to do what she wants him to do, or even consider really listening to what she says. Oedipus is always so desperate to do what he wants or believe what he wants that he doesn't listen to anyone else. He does what he wants to or believes what he wants to regardless.
Both genders are very respectful to one another. There is not much reason to think that the women are controlled by the men or vice versa. Both genders (based on seeing Jocasta's and Oedipus' role and interaction with each other) express their opinions to one another and for the most part listen to what one another says. However, this becomes until one or the other wants to do something or believe something so desperately that they do what they want regardless.

Oedipus: Journal 2

Oedipus has the qualities of a deficient leader. As the story goes on, Oedipus does not listen to anyone if their story does not fit in to what he believes happened. For example, Teiresias tells him of the future like he asked him for, but when Teiresias reveals the truth, Oedipus does not want to hear it and believes that it has been conspired against him by Creon. Then, acting completely on rage and not sensibly, he says that he wants Creon either dead or banished from the land. Not being able to listen and acting out of rage instead of sensibility are qualities of a deficient leader.
Creon on the otherhand has good qualities for a leader. He listens to others, and thinks sensibly when he could otherwise act out of rage. He also acts as a good and loyal friend to Oedipus, although Oedipus doesn't think so. Teiresias always holds the truth, although no one ever believes him. Therefore he becomes accused of being untruthful to his own people. He tends to become angry when a person either tries to force something out of him that he does not want to tell, or when he becomes accused of being untruthful. He probably becomes angry when accused because it happens so often, since people never believe him. Both him and Creon seem to be similar in that they both tell the truth, but Oedipus refuses to believe them.

Oedipus The King: Journal 1

One Sentence Summary for Each Page:

Pg. 159: A plague struck the city and priests kneel before Oedipus with branches wound in wool. Oedipus asks the priests what they need from him.

Pg. 160: The priest explains to Oedipus how the city is devastated and in ruins. This is caused by the plague, cattle and crops dying, women dying in labor, children stillborn, etc.

Pg. 161: The priest begs Oedipus to help all of the people in the city the same way he had once before.

Pg. 162: Oedipus says that he hurts as well, for himself, for the people, and for the city. He sent Creon to Delphi to find out what he should do to help the city. Then Creon came back, and Oedipus hoped that he brought good advice, a rescue plan for the city.

Pg. 163: Oedipus talks to Creon, trying to find out what the god had told him. Creon tries to pull him away to the palace to tell him privately, but Oedipus wants all of the priests to hear the news as well. The news sounds like it is good.

Pg. 164: Creon tells Oedipus in front of the priests that Apollo says that they must banish or kill the man or men who killed their old leader, Laius.

Pg. 165: Oedipus asks Creon where they could find the killer or killers, and Creon said that Apollo told him that they would be found in Thebes. Oedipus questions where, and if there was anyone who could help them find them, but Creon does not know where, and there is no one to help them. The one person was too terrified and could not explain anything clearly. Although Creon offers hope when he says that there was one thing that the man told them.

Pg. 166: Creon describes how King Laius and the people he was with were attacked by thieves, and Oedipus cannot believe that they wouldn't have tracked down the killers then and there. When he asked why, Creon said that Sphinx told them to let it go.

Pg. 167: Oedipus decides to rid their city of corruption himself by finding the killers. He is confident that they will triumph. The priests feel like they have recieved a good answer to their problem because Oedipus is offering himself to save his city. Oedipus calls on the guards to call the city before them.

Pg. 168: The chorus (citizens of Thebes) talk to Zeus, asking what news came to their city and asking what he will bring. They also talk about their terror. They mention the godesses Athena and Artemis as well.

Pg. 169: The citizens cry how their city has numberless griefs and miseries and how it is a city of death. They beg for mercy a rescue from the gods.

Pg. 170: The citizens are still begging for the gods to stop the god of death that has raided their city and turned it to ruins.

Literary Techniques:

"Here are boys, still too weak to fly from the nest" (Pg.160): Personification is used here to display how bad the conditions are in the city by showing how the men are too weak to support themselves.

"our ship pitches wildly, cannot life her head" (Pg. 160): Personification is used again to reveal the terrible conditions in the city.

"Thebes is dying" (Pg. 160): The personification emphasizes, yet again, how the city is completely in ruins.

"And black Death luxuriates in the raw, wailing miseries of Thebes" (Pg. 160): The personification of death reveals how death has appeared everywhere in the city.

"But my spirit grieves for the city, for myself and all of you" (Pg.162): Personification of Oedipus' soul reveals how sad he feels for everyone in the city including himself, and to show how he wants to help.

"groping, laboring over many paths of thought" (Pg. 162): This figure of speech reveals how much Oedipus was trying to find a way to save his city.

"Lord Apollo, let him come with a lucky word of rescue, shining like his eyes!" (Pg. 162): This simile shows the hope for the city which would come with an idea to try to rescue the city.

"I tell you even the hardest things to bear" (Pg.163): This reveals how Creon would tell Oedipus anything.

"don't nurse it in your soil- root it out!'" (Pg. 164): Apollo tells them to get rid of the corruption that is in their land that they are nursing at the moment. This reveals how the city did not know of the corruption that was in their land.

"the trail of the ancient guilt so hard to trace?" (Pg. 165): This foreshadows how difficult it will be to find the killer or killers and save their city.

"I'll start again- I'll bring it all to light myself!" (Pg. 167): This reveals Oedipus' desparity to save his city by ridding them of corruption.

"What word from the gold vaults of Delphi comes to brilliant Thebes?" (Pg. 168): The gold vaults represent the hope that the citizens have for the triumph of their city. This is also seen in how they still describe Thebes as brilliant.

"terror shakes my heart" (Pg. 168): This reveals how even though the citizens are hopeful for their city, they are still very fearful.

"Tell me, child of golden Hope, warm voice that never dies!" (Pg. 168): The citizens describe Zeus as the child of hope. They are looking to him for an answer, and hoping that they will be provided with one. By saying that his warm voice never dies, it again emphasizes the hope that he provides them with.

"you hurled the flame of pain" (Pg. 168): The citizens are begging the gods for help in their struggles in the city. After discussing their past here, they beg for the gods to come down again to help them like they did before.

"heart of the market place enthroned in glory, guardian of our earth" (Pg. 168): The citizens beg for Artemis, the protecter of their earth, to help them.

"Thebes like a great army dying" (Pg. 169): This simile emphasizes again the horrible conditions in Thebes.

"and there is no sword of thought to save us, no" (Pg. 169): The citizens feel like there is nothing there to save them, no plan for rescue.

"like seabirds winging west, outracing the day's fire" (Pg. 169): The dead are compared to these seabirds, which reveals just how many are dying. They "outrace the day's fire".

"Thebes is dying" (Pg. 169): This personification shows how the city is completely in ruins.

Page 170 is filled with imagery of the gods fighting the god of death in order to save the city of Thebes.