Antigone Journal 4

And there we are. It is quite true that if it had not been for Antigone they would have been at peace. But that is over now. And they are all at peace. All those who were meant to die have died: those who believed one thing, those who believed the contrary thing, and even those who believed nothing at all, yet were caught up in the web without knowing why. All dead: stiff, useless, rotting. And those who have survived will now begin quietly to forget the dead: they won't remember who was who or which was which. It is all over. Antigone is calm tonight, and we shall never know the name of the fever that consumed her. She has played her part (53).

This passage, at the end of the play seems to tie up the cultural connection of the play to WWII. I find it interesting how this passage is at the end of the play, and the passage is an allusion to the end of WWII. The passage leaves me with the feeling of a reflection on WWII as well as a reflection on the play itself. This passage is not only an allusion, but it is also ambiguous in the sense that it can be tied to either the play or WWII. The reflection of death, "And they are all at peace. All those who were meant to die have died" leads the reader to assume that since they were "meant" to die, that these deaths were inevitable. This is interesting because in a tragedy death is always inevitable, and in a cultural sense, once the Nazi's took power, death and destruction was inevitable there too. When talking about those who were killed, "those who believed one thing, those who believed the contrary thing, and even those who believed nothing at all, yet were caught up in the web without knowing why" the reader is left to assume that senseless and unnecessary deaths were taking place. This was definitely the case during the holocaust and this can be related to the play because in reality, no one needed to die, everyone could have lived if Antigone did not so desperately desire death. The final part that leads me to believe that this is an allusion to the end of WWII is the line, "It is all over. Antigone is calm tonight, and we shall never know the name of the fever that consumed her." This line reminds me of some questions many people of the world had when WWII was finally over. "the name of the fever that consumed her" can be interpreted as the reason Antigone did what she did, but it can be also interpreted culturally as the reason the Nazi's committed mass genocide. This line shows the absolute lack of understanding that people had as to the reasons the Nazi's did the horrendous things they did. The use of this passage by Anouilh ties up the play nicely, but its ambiguity also sums up what the end of WWII was like as well.

Antigone Journal 3

The most apparent contrast in pages 20-44 is the contrast of life vs. death. We see this contrast in the concept of the burial. We also see it in the consequences that Antigone is expecting to receive for her actions. Towards the end of the reading, Ismene also decided to face the consequnce of death. Anouilh creates the contrast between life and death by having Antigone and Creon be foils of one another. Creon cannot fathom as to why Antigone would risk her life to bury Polonices, and Antigone expects Creon to understand her desire to bury Polonices, even if it means her death. By having these two characters be foils Anouilh creates contrast not only between the two characters, but also between their main ideas and beliefs. Anouilh's decision to create this contrast was influenced by cultural happenings. The play was written during WWII, a time when much death and destruction was happening. Anouilh creates the contrast to portray the different views people had on the war. For example, Antigone thought that burying Polonices would be something worth dying for, just like many men thought that protecting their country would be something worth dying for. The contrast between life and death was intended by Anouilh to be a reflection on how people of the time period thought of the war.

Antigone Journal 2

48-Hour Timeline:

1. Polinices dies
2. Creon bans the burial of Polinices
3. Antigone and Ismene decide to bury Polinices since he was their brother
4. Antigone sneaks out
5. Antigone goes too see Haemon, dressed in much of Ismene's make-up and clothing
6. Gets into a quarrel with Haemon and storms out
7. After leaving Haemon, Antigone buries Polinices
8. Antigone returns home
9. Antigone speaks with the Nurse
10. Antigone speaks with Ismene, and during their discussion, Ismene decides that she does not want to partake in the burial of Polinices because she is afraid of torture and death.
11. Haemon comes to see Antigone
12. Antigone explains to Haemon that she wanted to look beautiful so she wore her sisters make-up and clothing. Antigone "wanted him to want her" (18).
13. Antigone explains to Haemon that she will never be able to marry him
14. Haemon leaves, stunned
15. Antigone and Ismene speak again. During their conversation, Antigone reveals that she had already buried Polinices

Antigone Journal 1

Staging

I envision the staging of this play to be quite simple. I believe that there are no elaborate props, settings, or groups of people.

The setting seems to be quite simple. I picture it being indoors, like the indoors of some sort of castle. However, I envision it being a casual setting. Perhaps, a smaller room with stairs leading down into a "pit" where there is a table and a few chairs and stool. The room is meant to give off a casual and personal feel to the reader. The arches on the other hand contrast that casual feel. The arches serve as a reminder that the setting is in fact in a castle, where royalty is present. Royalty typically has a serious side to it, because they are in fact in charge of ruling a country. The setting in the first few pages gives off a simple, casual feel, but also has subtle reminders as to who the characters actually are.

Another aspect to setting would of course be the time period in which the story would be taking place. Instead of it being a modern adaption as some plays are, I would have it be more realistic. By having the play take place ages ago, the play gains a certain level of seriousness and credibility. This credibility causes the audience to become more engaged. Of course, everything would have to be of the time period; the actors' clothes, the building, and the props would all have to be of the time period in order to ensure it being completely realistic.

I think that the chorus is actually just one person. I believe this because the stage directions refer to the chorus simply as "he" (5). The use of a one-man chorus stays with the overall theme of simplicity that is apparent throughout the first few pages of the play. The use of a one-man chorus creates casual undertones and relaxes the audience more than if there were a more elaborate, larger chorus.

We Journal 3

The Corruption of Morals and Values          

          The change to a completely structured schedule is apparent throughout the novel We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin. Through the Table of Hours, the One State is essentially taking the numbers’ freedom. The One State corrupts freedom by telling the numbers what to do and when to do it. By doing this the government can more easily control and monitor the numbers. Zamyatin inserts the Table of Hours as an allusion to the totalitarian tactics of the Bolsheviks, and as a warning of what those tactics may do to an individual’s freedom.

            Zamyatin creates a situation in which the government decays religion until the only thing to worship is the government itself. The One State accomplishes this by demonstrating “the superhuman power of the Benefactor” (48). By making examples of those who do not worship the Benefactor, the One State is essentially giving the ultimatum of worship the One State, or die. By doing this, the government gains the full support of all numbers. To some people church is more important than state, but by combining the two, the One Sate eliminates any competition. Zamyatin clearly disagrees with this tactic and is attempting to inform his readers just how immoral a totalitarian government can be.

            Zamyatin creates a society in which the numbers of One State have times designated for sex and have the governments’ permission to have sex with whomever they register to. The One State corrupts sex and love by removing the human element. By removing spontaneity and normal sexual restrictions the One State creates sexual corruption. By corrupting sexuality, the government in effects corrupts the connection between sex and love. By corrupting love, the One State is essentially strengthening their regime through getting people to focus less on love, and focus more on the government.

We Journal 2

      For my passage I chose page three of We. In this passage, D-503 is describing the setting, he describes the nature around him. D-503 focuses on the colorful and stimulating aspects of nature, such as "the sweet pollen", "the blue sky", and the "wild plains" (3). He also talks about the "sweet lips of every woman you meet" (3). This passage gives the reader the sense that D-503 and the rest of the One State are quite in touch with nature and are able to act freely. The fact that D-503 knows about all these things on the outside of the Green Wall is suggesting that the One State is lenient and allows its "numbers" to experience what is on the other side of the Green Wall.

Contrast: Taken in context, this passage serves as a contrast to what the reader was able to infer on the previous page. On the previous page, Zamyatin portrayed One State as a totalitarian government. A government that is very black and white, a government with strict rules that are simply not broken. This black and white government that is portrayed on the previous page is the exact opposite of what Zamyatin suggests in this passage. By having D-503 express his knowledge about things on the other side of the wall, Zamyatin is implying that the rules of the One State are not so harsh after all, that they are in fact more of guidelines than actual rules. However, Zamyatin does not portray this simply through what D-503 observes, he also uses the imagery of colors.

Imagery: Zamyatin uses the imagery of colors to characterize D-503. He gives the reader the idea that the black and white views and rules of the One State may not always be the same to D-503. By having D-503 take in colors and express his positive feelings towards them, Zamyatin is suggesting that D-503 is quite different from the other "numbers" of the One State. When the reader interprets this characterization, they may make the assumption that D-503 is more likely to rebel, due to his atypical "fascination" with colors in what Zamyatin suggests is a purely black and white society.