Othello 1.2-1.3 "Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: She has deceived her father, and may thee." (1.3 287-288)
I chose this quote because I think it strongly displays forshadowing. I think that later in the story, Desdemona will betray Othello and something will break up their marrige. I think this ties into the theme of seeing if characters are what they seem to be because I think that Desdemona is supposed to be this good girl on the outside, but on the inside, she is sneaky and deceiving like she was to her father and perhaps later in the story.
Will something happen between Othello and Desdemona that breaks up their marriage?
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Kevin McAdam
English 10 Honors/ Mr. George
12/10/08
A Separate Peace Essay
A SEPARATE PEACE
One of the most difficult periods in anyone’s life is the transition from adolescence to adulthood. It is the time when all of the hopes and dreams a person had as a child have been thrust upon him and have become challenges and goals to accomplish in the years to come. As you get older, you have to make more decisions, and for people like Gene Forrester, many of those decisions change his life. In “A Separate Peace”, Gene starts out as a very shady person; and throughout the course of the story, he has develops from a boy to a man in such a short period of time. The certain ways in which Gene has become a man are through dealing with emotions properly, coping with disaster, and becoming aware of things around him. A major part of adulthood is how you control your emotions in certain situations. It is very common to see a five year old child throw a fit about not getting a toy that he wants. However, all adults must know that they must control their feelings and have maturity in unfamiliar situations. Even when that child throws a fit, there is some restraint over his action because there is still the level-headed adult there to punish him, if he goes beyond his limits. If adults go overboard with passion, no one can stop them. When Gene makes Finny fall out of the tree, he obviously loses control of his emotions but there is no one there to stop him. As a sign that Gene is growing from a boy to a man, he immediately regrets making Finny fall and realizes that Finny is only trying to be his friend. Even though Gene commits such an unfortunate act, Gene’s ability to learn from that mistake shows that he knows he must be a better person. One of Gene’s biggest flaws is that he is blind to the fact that Finny is not in competition with him. Gene wants to be better than Finny so badly that he completely loses track of all the qualities of a good person. When Gene pushed Finny out of the tree, Gene was too open with his emotions and expressed them too vagrantly. If Gene had just shown a little self-control, then Finny would not have died later on. Although Gene could not control himself there, he was able to control himself when Finny died. Finny was his best friend, but he was able to remain strong after his death as explained in the quote, “I did not cry then or ever about Finny. I did not cry even when I stood watching him being lowered into his family’s strait-laced burial ground outside of Boston” (Knowles, 194). Gene, who was once paranoid and emotional, now can control his emotions like adults should in difficult situations. Throughout the story, a strong test for Gene’s emotions is how he is able to cope with disaster. Gene coped with disaster in many different ways, but each time he became more mature in the process. When Gene pushed Finny out of the tree, Gene made up for it with several acts of kindness towards Finny. Gene would help Finny with whatever he wanted and listened to whatever Finny said. The most important thing in Gene’s life became restoring the friendship between him and Finny. Gene obviously made great strides towards turning his life around and getting rid of all the envy and jealousy he had in his body. The only thing that halted Gene’s progress was that Gene felt too much guilt towards Finny and could not forgive himself for what he has done. As mentioned before, Gene did whatever Finny asked him to, and that was bad for Gene to be pushed around all the time. Guilt is what took the place of jealousy and envy when Gene tried to make his life better, which was just as bad as the jealousy. Gene shows how he did whatever Finny wanted him to out of guilt in this quote, “’Listen, pal, if I can’t play sports, you’re going to play them for me,’ and I lost a part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become a part of Phineas” (85). Until Gene could find something to fill the void of jealousy, only bad things would take its place. Finally, Gene realized how Finny had been helping him all along. Gene was able to take the good parts of Finny and place them in that void. By doing this, Gene was able to win the battle of being a savage and a good boy. Gene had been a savage before, but with the help of others he was able to help his growth towards becoming a man. Finny’s death is another step forward in adulthood for Gene, because he is not as sorrowful as the first incident with Finny. Gene does not feel as much guilt, because he had come to terms with what had happened, and understood that Finny’s death was very surprising and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Gene advanced further into adulthood was because of his ability to see things with a level head and to go at things with an open mind. One of the most important things you must do while in school, playing sports, or starting a new job is that you must always be open-minded and accepting of criticism. Stubbornness is a habit that is very difficult for children and adults to get rid of as they get older. Another problem of Gene was that he was too focused on what he believed and was too selfish to listen to others when they said Finny was not his rival. Gene’s stubborn behavior was exhibited in this quote, “You and Phineas are even already. You are even in enmity. You are both coldly driving ahead for yourselves alone. You did hate him for breaking that school swimming record, but so what? He hated you for getting an A in every course but one last term” (53). If Gene had just listened to that, then he could have realized that everything Finny did was not to impress Gene, but for himself. Again, after Gene pushed Finny out of the tree, he seemed to take on an entirely new way of life as he started to listen to others more. Gene knew that he had to get rid of his jealousy, so by being open-minded, he was able to take on the best qualities of Finny and become a more established adult. Everybody knows that young children are always very hyper and have a difficult time focusing on one topic. As they grow older, they become more mature, and find it hard to relax and stop focusing. One more way Gene became more open-minded was how during the summer Finny thought of creating blitzball to help other students get their minds of the war. It was a lot of fun for the students, but it really never took them away from the war at all; because after the fun was over, they still had all the army recruiters around them and ads in the newspaper telling them about the war. Gene and his friends all approached manhood; because later in the year, they had become very aware of the war as they enlisted into different branches of the military and not even blitzball could take their minds off of that. So by entering adulthood, people, like Gene, find themselves staying more on task and being more aware of the things happening in their lives because they are adults. This story shows how a young boy like Gene can become a mature, responsible man through dealing with emotions properly, coping with disaster, and becoming aware of things around him. Gene Forrester becomes a man the way someone should. He went through pain and anguish to learn the qualities of a responsible man, such as, respect, generosity, and honesty. Through his tough experiences at Devon, Gene became the type of man who can go out into the world and not be affected by anything that happens to him.
English 10 Honors/ Mr. George
12/10/08
A Separate Peace Essay
A SEPARATE PEACE
One of the most difficult periods in anyone’s life is the transition from adolescence to adulthood. It is the time when all of the hopes and dreams a person had as a child have been thrust upon him and have become challenges and goals to accomplish in the years to come. As you get older, you have to make more decisions, and for people like Gene Forrester, many of those decisions change his life. In “A Separate Peace”, Gene starts out as a very shady person; and throughout the course of the story, he has develops from a boy to a man in such a short period of time. The certain ways in which Gene has become a man are through dealing with emotions properly, coping with disaster, and becoming aware of things around him. A major part of adulthood is how you control your emotions in certain situations. It is very common to see a five year old child throw a fit about not getting a toy that he wants. However, all adults must know that they must control their feelings and have maturity in unfamiliar situations. Even when that child throws a fit, there is some restraint over his action because there is still the level-headed adult there to punish him, if he goes beyond his limits. If adults go overboard with passion, no one can stop them. When Gene makes Finny fall out of the tree, he obviously loses control of his emotions but there is no one there to stop him. As a sign that Gene is growing from a boy to a man, he immediately regrets making Finny fall and realizes that Finny is only trying to be his friend. Even though Gene commits such an unfortunate act, Gene’s ability to learn from that mistake shows that he knows he must be a better person. One of Gene’s biggest flaws is that he is blind to the fact that Finny is not in competition with him. Gene wants to be better than Finny so badly that he completely loses track of all the qualities of a good person. When Gene pushed Finny out of the tree, Gene was too open with his emotions and expressed them too vagrantly. If Gene had just shown a little self-control, then Finny would not have died later on. Although Gene could not control himself there, he was able to control himself when Finny died. Finny was his best friend, but he was able to remain strong after his death as explained in the quote, “I did not cry then or ever about Finny. I did not cry even when I stood watching him being lowered into his family’s strait-laced burial ground outside of Boston” (Knowles, 194). Gene, who was once paranoid and emotional, now can control his emotions like adults should in difficult situations. Throughout the story, a strong test for Gene’s emotions is how he is able to cope with disaster. Gene coped with disaster in many different ways, but each time he became more mature in the process. When Gene pushed Finny out of the tree, Gene made up for it with several acts of kindness towards Finny. Gene would help Finny with whatever he wanted and listened to whatever Finny said. The most important thing in Gene’s life became restoring the friendship between him and Finny. Gene obviously made great strides towards turning his life around and getting rid of all the envy and jealousy he had in his body. The only thing that halted Gene’s progress was that Gene felt too much guilt towards Finny and could not forgive himself for what he has done. As mentioned before, Gene did whatever Finny asked him to, and that was bad for Gene to be pushed around all the time. Guilt is what took the place of jealousy and envy when Gene tried to make his life better, which was just as bad as the jealousy. Gene shows how he did whatever Finny wanted him to out of guilt in this quote, “’Listen, pal, if I can’t play sports, you’re going to play them for me,’ and I lost a part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become a part of Phineas” (85). Until Gene could find something to fill the void of jealousy, only bad things would take its place. Finally, Gene realized how Finny had been helping him all along. Gene was able to take the good parts of Finny and place them in that void. By doing this, Gene was able to win the battle of being a savage and a good boy. Gene had been a savage before, but with the help of others he was able to help his growth towards becoming a man. Finny’s death is another step forward in adulthood for Gene, because he is not as sorrowful as the first incident with Finny. Gene does not feel as much guilt, because he had come to terms with what had happened, and understood that Finny’s death was very surprising and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Gene advanced further into adulthood was because of his ability to see things with a level head and to go at things with an open mind. One of the most important things you must do while in school, playing sports, or starting a new job is that you must always be open-minded and accepting of criticism. Stubbornness is a habit that is very difficult for children and adults to get rid of as they get older. Another problem of Gene was that he was too focused on what he believed and was too selfish to listen to others when they said Finny was not his rival. Gene’s stubborn behavior was exhibited in this quote, “You and Phineas are even already. You are even in enmity. You are both coldly driving ahead for yourselves alone. You did hate him for breaking that school swimming record, but so what? He hated you for getting an A in every course but one last term” (53). If Gene had just listened to that, then he could have realized that everything Finny did was not to impress Gene, but for himself. Again, after Gene pushed Finny out of the tree, he seemed to take on an entirely new way of life as he started to listen to others more. Gene knew that he had to get rid of his jealousy, so by being open-minded, he was able to take on the best qualities of Finny and become a more established adult. Everybody knows that young children are always very hyper and have a difficult time focusing on one topic. As they grow older, they become more mature, and find it hard to relax and stop focusing. One more way Gene became more open-minded was how during the summer Finny thought of creating blitzball to help other students get their minds of the war. It was a lot of fun for the students, but it really never took them away from the war at all; because after the fun was over, they still had all the army recruiters around them and ads in the newspaper telling them about the war. Gene and his friends all approached manhood; because later in the year, they had become very aware of the war as they enlisted into different branches of the military and not even blitzball could take their minds off of that. So by entering adulthood, people, like Gene, find themselves staying more on task and being more aware of the things happening in their lives because they are adults. This story shows how a young boy like Gene can become a mature, responsible man through dealing with emotions properly, coping with disaster, and becoming aware of things around him. Gene Forrester becomes a man the way someone should. He went through pain and anguish to learn the qualities of a responsible man, such as, respect, generosity, and honesty. Through his tough experiences at Devon, Gene became the type of man who can go out into the world and not be affected by anything that happens to him.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Kevin McAdam
English 10 Honors/ Mr. George
12/10/08
A Separate Peace Essay
A SEPARATE PEACE
One of the most difficult periods in anyone’s life is the change from adolescence to adulthood. It is the time when all of the hopes and dreams a person had as a child have been thrust upon you and have become challenges and goals to accomplish in the years to come. As you get older, the more decisions you have to make, and for people like Gene Forrester, many of those decisions change your life. In A Separate Peace, Gene starts out as a very shady person, and throughout the course of the story, we see changes in the character of Gene that shows how he has developed from a boy to a man in such a short period of time. The certain ways in which Gene became a man were through dealing with emotions properly, coping with disaster, and becoming aware of things around him.
A major part of adulthood is how you control your emotions in certain situations. It is very common to see a five year old child throw a fit about not getting a toy that he wants. However, all adults must know that they must show control with their feelings and have maturity in unfamiliar situations. Even when that child throws a fit, there is some restraint over their actions because there is still the level-headed adult there to punish if he goes beyond his limits. If adults go overboard with passion, there is no one there to stop them from what they are doing. When Gene made Finny fall out of the tree he obviously lost control of his emotions but there was no one there to stop him. As a sign that Gene was growing from a boy to a man, he immediately regretted making Finny fall and realized that Finny was only trying to be his friend. Even though Gene committed such an unfortunate act, Gene’s ability to learn from that mistake and try to fight the battle between being a good person and a savage shows that he knows he must be better. One of Gene’s biggest flaws was that he was blind to the fact that Finny was never in competition with him. Gene wanted to be better than Finny so bad that he completely lost track of everything that is important in being a good person. When Gene pushed Finny out of the tree, he was too open with his emotions and expressed them too vagrantly. If Gene had just shown a little self-control then Finny would not have died later on. Although Gene could not control himself there, he was able to control himself when Finny died. Finny was his best friend, but he was able to remain strong after his death as explained in the quote, “I did not cry then or ever about Finny. I did not cry even when I stood watching him being lowered into his family’s strait-laced burial ground outside of Boston” (194). Gene, who was once a paranoid and emotional person, now can control his emotions like adults should in difficult situations. A strong test for Gene’s emotions is how he is able to cope with disaster.
Many people say that it is not what you are like when times are good, it is what you are like when times are bad that is important. Throughout the story, Gene coped with disaster in many different ways, but each time became more mature in the process. When Gene pushed Finny out of the tree, Gene made up for it with several acts of kindness towards Finny. Gene would help Finny with whatever he wanted and listened to whatever Finny said. The most important thing in Gene’s life became restoring the friendship between he and Finny. Gene obviously made great strides towards turning his life around and getting rid of all the envy and jealousy he had in his body. The only thing that halted Gene’s progress was that Gene felt too much guilt towards Finny and could not forgive himself for what happened. As mentioned before, Gene did whatever Finny asked him too, and that was bad for Gene to be pushed around all the time. Guilt is what took the place of jealousy and envy when Gene tried to make his life better, which was just as bad as the jealousy. Gene shows how he did whatever Finny wanted him to out of guilt in this quote, “’Listen, pal, if I can’t play sports, you’re going to play them for me,’ and I lost a part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become a part of Phineas” (85). Until Gene could find something to fill the void of jealousy, only bad things would take its place. Finally, Gene realized how Finny had been helping him all along. Gene was able to take the good parts of Finny and place them in that void. By doing this Gene was able win the battle of being a savage and a good boy. Gene had been a savage before, but with the help of others he was able to help his growth towards becoming a man. Finny’s death is another step forward in adulthood for Gene because he does not feel as much guilt as the first incident with Finny. Gene does not feel as much guilt because he had come to terms with what had happened and understood that his death was very surprising and there was nothing he could do to stop it. The reason why Gene had advanced father into adulthood was because of his ability to see things with a level head and to go at things with an open mind.
Stubbornness is one habit that is very difficult for children and adults to get rid of as they get older. One of the most important things you must do while in school, playing sports, or starting a new job is that you must always be open-minded and accepting of criticism. Another problem of Gene was that he was too focused on what he believed and was too selfish to listen to others when they said Finny was not his rival. Gene’s stubborn behavior was exhibited in this quote, “You and Phineas are even already. You are even in enmity. You are both coldly driving ahead for yourselves alone. You did hate him for breaking that school swimming record, but so what? He hated you for getting an A in every course but one last term” (53). If Gene had just listened to that thought then he could have realized that everything Finny did was, not to impress Gene, but for himself. Again, after Gene pushed Finny out of the tree he seemed to take on an entirely new way of life as he started to listen to others more. Gene knew that his jealousy had to go so by being open-minded he was able to take on the best qualities of Finny and become a more established adult. Everybody knows that young children are always very hyper and have a difficult time focusing on one topic. As they grow older, they become more mature and find it hard to relax and stop focusing. Well, one more way Gene became more open-minded was how during the winter Finny thought of creating blitzball to help other students get their minds of the war. It was a lot of fun for the students, but it really never took them away from the war at all because after the fun was over they still had all the army recruiters around them and ads in the newspaper telling them about the war. Gene and his friends all became closer to becoming men because later in the year they had become very aware of the war as they enlisted into different branches of the military and not even blitzball could take their minds off of that. So by entering adulthood, people like Gene find themselves staying more on task and being more aware of the things happening in their lives because they are adults.
This story shows how some young boy like Gene can become a mature, responsible man through dealing with emotions properly, coping with disaster, and becoming aware of things around him. Gene Forrester becomes a man the way someone should. He went through pain and anguish to learn what he found out. With the help of friends he became the type of man who can go out into the world and accomplish the hopes and dreams that he had as a child.
English 10 Honors/ Mr. George
12/10/08
A Separate Peace Essay
A SEPARATE PEACE
One of the most difficult periods in anyone’s life is the change from adolescence to adulthood. It is the time when all of the hopes and dreams a person had as a child have been thrust upon you and have become challenges and goals to accomplish in the years to come. As you get older, the more decisions you have to make, and for people like Gene Forrester, many of those decisions change your life. In A Separate Peace, Gene starts out as a very shady person, and throughout the course of the story, we see changes in the character of Gene that shows how he has developed from a boy to a man in such a short period of time. The certain ways in which Gene became a man were through dealing with emotions properly, coping with disaster, and becoming aware of things around him.
A major part of adulthood is how you control your emotions in certain situations. It is very common to see a five year old child throw a fit about not getting a toy that he wants. However, all adults must know that they must show control with their feelings and have maturity in unfamiliar situations. Even when that child throws a fit, there is some restraint over their actions because there is still the level-headed adult there to punish if he goes beyond his limits. If adults go overboard with passion, there is no one there to stop them from what they are doing. When Gene made Finny fall out of the tree he obviously lost control of his emotions but there was no one there to stop him. As a sign that Gene was growing from a boy to a man, he immediately regretted making Finny fall and realized that Finny was only trying to be his friend. Even though Gene committed such an unfortunate act, Gene’s ability to learn from that mistake and try to fight the battle between being a good person and a savage shows that he knows he must be better. One of Gene’s biggest flaws was that he was blind to the fact that Finny was never in competition with him. Gene wanted to be better than Finny so bad that he completely lost track of everything that is important in being a good person. When Gene pushed Finny out of the tree, he was too open with his emotions and expressed them too vagrantly. If Gene had just shown a little self-control then Finny would not have died later on. Although Gene could not control himself there, he was able to control himself when Finny died. Finny was his best friend, but he was able to remain strong after his death as explained in the quote, “I did not cry then or ever about Finny. I did not cry even when I stood watching him being lowered into his family’s strait-laced burial ground outside of Boston” (194). Gene, who was once a paranoid and emotional person, now can control his emotions like adults should in difficult situations. A strong test for Gene’s emotions is how he is able to cope with disaster.
Many people say that it is not what you are like when times are good, it is what you are like when times are bad that is important. Throughout the story, Gene coped with disaster in many different ways, but each time became more mature in the process. When Gene pushed Finny out of the tree, Gene made up for it with several acts of kindness towards Finny. Gene would help Finny with whatever he wanted and listened to whatever Finny said. The most important thing in Gene’s life became restoring the friendship between he and Finny. Gene obviously made great strides towards turning his life around and getting rid of all the envy and jealousy he had in his body. The only thing that halted Gene’s progress was that Gene felt too much guilt towards Finny and could not forgive himself for what happened. As mentioned before, Gene did whatever Finny asked him too, and that was bad for Gene to be pushed around all the time. Guilt is what took the place of jealousy and envy when Gene tried to make his life better, which was just as bad as the jealousy. Gene shows how he did whatever Finny wanted him to out of guilt in this quote, “’Listen, pal, if I can’t play sports, you’re going to play them for me,’ and I lost a part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become a part of Phineas” (85). Until Gene could find something to fill the void of jealousy, only bad things would take its place. Finally, Gene realized how Finny had been helping him all along. Gene was able to take the good parts of Finny and place them in that void. By doing this Gene was able win the battle of being a savage and a good boy. Gene had been a savage before, but with the help of others he was able to help his growth towards becoming a man. Finny’s death is another step forward in adulthood for Gene because he does not feel as much guilt as the first incident with Finny. Gene does not feel as much guilt because he had come to terms with what had happened and understood that his death was very surprising and there was nothing he could do to stop it. The reason why Gene had advanced father into adulthood was because of his ability to see things with a level head and to go at things with an open mind.
Stubbornness is one habit that is very difficult for children and adults to get rid of as they get older. One of the most important things you must do while in school, playing sports, or starting a new job is that you must always be open-minded and accepting of criticism. Another problem of Gene was that he was too focused on what he believed and was too selfish to listen to others when they said Finny was not his rival. Gene’s stubborn behavior was exhibited in this quote, “You and Phineas are even already. You are even in enmity. You are both coldly driving ahead for yourselves alone. You did hate him for breaking that school swimming record, but so what? He hated you for getting an A in every course but one last term” (53). If Gene had just listened to that thought then he could have realized that everything Finny did was, not to impress Gene, but for himself. Again, after Gene pushed Finny out of the tree he seemed to take on an entirely new way of life as he started to listen to others more. Gene knew that his jealousy had to go so by being open-minded he was able to take on the best qualities of Finny and become a more established adult. Everybody knows that young children are always very hyper and have a difficult time focusing on one topic. As they grow older, they become more mature and find it hard to relax and stop focusing. Well, one more way Gene became more open-minded was how during the winter Finny thought of creating blitzball to help other students get their minds of the war. It was a lot of fun for the students, but it really never took them away from the war at all because after the fun was over they still had all the army recruiters around them and ads in the newspaper telling them about the war. Gene and his friends all became closer to becoming men because later in the year they had become very aware of the war as they enlisted into different branches of the military and not even blitzball could take their minds off of that. So by entering adulthood, people like Gene find themselves staying more on task and being more aware of the things happening in their lives because they are adults.
This story shows how some young boy like Gene can become a mature, responsible man through dealing with emotions properly, coping with disaster, and becoming aware of things around him. Gene Forrester becomes a man the way someone should. He went through pain and anguish to learn what he found out. With the help of friends he became the type of man who can go out into the world and accomplish the hopes and dreams that he had as a child.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Ch. 13 "Nothing as he was growing up at home, nothing at Devon, nothing even about the war had broken his harmonious and natural unity. So at last I had."
I chose this quote because I believe it displays how Gene knows he is responsible for all the bad things that happened to Finny. Finny was always able to remain hopeful and optimistic throughout his life, but that bothered Gene too much so he tried to stop it. Gene was so envious that he would hurt his best friend to make him like the rest of his friends, and eventually hurt him in the most physical way, by killing him. After his death, I still do not think Gene broke Finny because Gene says he is always thinking of him in everything he does so Finny will never die in the eyes of Gene."
Does Finny's death affect any of his other friends' lives, besides Gene, later on?
I chose this quote because I believe it displays how Gene knows he is responsible for all the bad things that happened to Finny. Finny was always able to remain hopeful and optimistic throughout his life, but that bothered Gene too much so he tried to stop it. Gene was so envious that he would hurt his best friend to make him like the rest of his friends, and eventually hurt him in the most physical way, by killing him. After his death, I still do not think Gene broke Finny because Gene says he is always thinking of him in everything he does so Finny will never die in the eyes of Gene."
Does Finny's death affect any of his other friends' lives, besides Gene, later on?
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Ch. 12 "I did not cry then or ever about Finny. I did not even cry when I stood watching him being lowered into his family's strait-laced burial ground outside of Boston. I could not escape the feeling that this was my own funeral, and you do not cry in that case." (194)
Wow! That was one thing that I did not expect at all int this book for Finny to die because a broken leg "usually" is not such a life-threatening injury. I chose this quote because I think it shows how that after Finny is gone, deep down Gene really was best friends with Finny and he actually liked him in spite of what had happened between them. When Gene says Finny's funeral was his own funeral I believe that a part of Gene died too. Ever since the second Gene pushed Finny out of the tree, he had felt sorry for it and tried to gain back Finny's trust whether he knew it or not. I do not think that Gene cried because I think he was too shocked to cry. Seeing his best friend die was bad enough, but the two of them had argued the last time they had talked so that must have hurt Gene a lot. Also, Gene must have been shocked from how his best friend, the most athletic and toughest kid in school, had died the way he did without coming to peace with him. Taking away Finny's athletic ability is nothing compared to the feeling Gene must have for being partially responsible for his death.
How will Gene and his friends react in he long term to Finny's death? Will Gene go crazy in the future, somewhat like Leper did?
Wow! That was one thing that I did not expect at all int this book for Finny to die because a broken leg "usually" is not such a life-threatening injury. I chose this quote because I think it shows how that after Finny is gone, deep down Gene really was best friends with Finny and he actually liked him in spite of what had happened between them. When Gene says Finny's funeral was his own funeral I believe that a part of Gene died too. Ever since the second Gene pushed Finny out of the tree, he had felt sorry for it and tried to gain back Finny's trust whether he knew it or not. I do not think that Gene cried because I think he was too shocked to cry. Seeing his best friend die was bad enough, but the two of them had argued the last time they had talked so that must have hurt Gene a lot. Also, Gene must have been shocked from how his best friend, the most athletic and toughest kid in school, had died the way he did without coming to peace with him. Taking away Finny's athletic ability is nothing compared to the feeling Gene must have for being partially responsible for his death.
How will Gene and his friends react in he long term to Finny's death? Will Gene go crazy in the future, somewhat like Leper did?
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Ch. 11 "But by now I no longer needed this vivid false identity; now I was acquiring, I felt, a sense of my own real authority and worth, I had many new experiences and I was growing up." (156)
I chose this quote because it shows how Gene realizes he has changed since he pushed Finny out of the tree. Gene feels he is now becoming his own person instead of being in the shadow of Finny all the time. I think that since Finny, the best athlete in the class, was taken out Gene has tried to fill the role of everyone's best friend and has now developed his personality into a whole new structure than before the accident. I think that this is good because if Finny somehow was able to come back to be his old self, I think Gene has changed himself so much that he would not go back to being in Finny's shadow and take on his own persona.
Why does Gene keep mentioning how the acoustics are so terrible?
I chose this quote because it shows how Gene realizes he has changed since he pushed Finny out of the tree. Gene feels he is now becoming his own person instead of being in the shadow of Finny all the time. I think that since Finny, the best athlete in the class, was taken out Gene has tried to fill the role of everyone's best friend and has now developed his personality into a whole new structure than before the accident. I think that this is good because if Finny somehow was able to come back to be his old self, I think Gene has changed himself so much that he would not go back to being in Finny's shadow and take on his own persona.
Why does Gene keep mentioning how the acoustics are so terrible?
Monday, December 1, 2008
Ch. 10 "I didn't care because it had nothing to do with me. And I didn't want to hear any more of it. Ever."
I chose this quote because I believes it shows the big difference between Gene and Finny. Finny is a very humble person and never looks for attention to be placed on himself. The only person Finny tries to impress is himself. Conversely, Gene strives to be number one and makes everyone know that he is number one. He believes that it is only good to accomplish something if everyone is around to see it. Here Gene does not want to here Leper's story because it has nothing to do with him displaying his arrogance and neglect for others around him. If the story that Leper is telling involved Gene in any way, Gene would make the conversation angled torwards him so that he can feel that he has impress Leper.
Does Gene go along with Finny's olympic training because he likes the attention?
I chose this quote because I believes it shows the big difference between Gene and Finny. Finny is a very humble person and never looks for attention to be placed on himself. The only person Finny tries to impress is himself. Conversely, Gene strives to be number one and makes everyone know that he is number one. He believes that it is only good to accomplish something if everyone is around to see it. Here Gene does not want to here Leper's story because it has nothing to do with him displaying his arrogance and neglect for others around him. If the story that Leper is telling involved Gene in any way, Gene would make the conversation angled torwards him so that he can feel that he has impress Leper.
Does Gene go along with Finny's olympic training because he likes the attention?
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Ch. 8 "'Don't be a sap,' he gazed with cool self-possession at me, 'there isn't any war.'" (115)
I chose this quote because I believe it represents a change in character of Finny since he has returned to Devon. I think Finny is acting like a real fool here because he actually says that the war is fake. Throughout the book so far I had thought of Finny as one of the most level-headed, down to earth characters since he is always so clever in certain situations. Finny did sometimes use his imagination to create things like blitzball, but that was to help other people kill the time during the summer, which was a very ingenious thing to do. My whole view of Finny is changed when he says this because by saying this, his words have no true meaning to others like they normally do. Everyone knows that his this is false so they have no point in listening to everything he says like they used to.
Did falling out of the tree affect Finny mentally as well as physically?
Ch. 9 "He drew me away from the Butt Room crowd, away from Brinker and Chet and all other friends, into a world inhabited by just himself and me, where there was no war at all, just Phineas and me, where there was no war at all, just Phineas and me alone among all the people of the world, training for the Olympics of 1944."
I chose this quote because I think it shows how much is wrong with both Gene and Finny. First, I cannot believe that Finny is pulling Gene away from all of his friends like that. I think there is definitely something wrong with Finny because he actually thinks that Gene will make it to the Olympics. Taking Gene away from others is not what Finny should be doing right now. Finny should be in the Butt Room with everyone else catching up with all he had missed since he had been away instead of isolating himself from others and making himself lonely. Second, I do not know why Gene is still putting up with Finny. Finny is making Gene train for the Olympics when he is absolutely certain that he is not going to make it, especially when Gene does not even play sports. I do not know why Gene has not stood up to Finny yet, but he still lets him force his will upon Gene. Even after Gene has injured Finny, he is still afraid to be himself around Finny. I think that on the pace he is going, if Gene does not stand up to Finny soon he will start doing things even more illogical than what has already happened.
Is Gene afraid to stand up to Finny?
I chose this quote because I believe it represents a change in character of Finny since he has returned to Devon. I think Finny is acting like a real fool here because he actually says that the war is fake. Throughout the book so far I had thought of Finny as one of the most level-headed, down to earth characters since he is always so clever in certain situations. Finny did sometimes use his imagination to create things like blitzball, but that was to help other people kill the time during the summer, which was a very ingenious thing to do. My whole view of Finny is changed when he says this because by saying this, his words have no true meaning to others like they normally do. Everyone knows that his this is false so they have no point in listening to everything he says like they used to.
Did falling out of the tree affect Finny mentally as well as physically?
Ch. 9 "He drew me away from the Butt Room crowd, away from Brinker and Chet and all other friends, into a world inhabited by just himself and me, where there was no war at all, just Phineas and me, where there was no war at all, just Phineas and me alone among all the people of the world, training for the Olympics of 1944."
I chose this quote because I think it shows how much is wrong with both Gene and Finny. First, I cannot believe that Finny is pulling Gene away from all of his friends like that. I think there is definitely something wrong with Finny because he actually thinks that Gene will make it to the Olympics. Taking Gene away from others is not what Finny should be doing right now. Finny should be in the Butt Room with everyone else catching up with all he had missed since he had been away instead of isolating himself from others and making himself lonely. Second, I do not know why Gene is still putting up with Finny. Finny is making Gene train for the Olympics when he is absolutely certain that he is not going to make it, especially when Gene does not even play sports. I do not know why Gene has not stood up to Finny yet, but he still lets him force his will upon Gene. Even after Gene has injured Finny, he is still afraid to be himself around Finny. I think that on the pace he is going, if Gene does not stand up to Finny soon he will start doing things even more illogical than what has already happened.
Is Gene afraid to stand up to Finny?
Monday, November 24, 2008
Ch. 7 "Everything that had happened throughout the day faded like that first false snowfall of the winter. Phineas was back."
I believe that this of course shocked Gene to see Finny in his room, but I believe that he was upset to see Finny there after all he had gone through. Gene was still trying to get over the guilt of hurting Finny, and I think he might have finally found a way to get over it by just thinking that he had accomplished his goal of making him not be so powerful over everyone anymore. I think that seeing Finny destroyed all the progress that Gene had made towards getting rid of his guilt because he is now reminded that he severly hurt his friend and did not even take him out of the picture. I think that Finny will be able to get forgive Gene for what he did before Gene can forgive himself.
How will Gene react in the long term to Finny coming back to Devon?
I believe that this of course shocked Gene to see Finny in his room, but I believe that he was upset to see Finny there after all he had gone through. Gene was still trying to get over the guilt of hurting Finny, and I think he might have finally found a way to get over it by just thinking that he had accomplished his goal of making him not be so powerful over everyone anymore. I think that seeing Finny destroyed all the progress that Gene had made towards getting rid of his guilt because he is now reminded that he severly hurt his friend and did not even take him out of the picture. I think that Finny will be able to get forgive Gene for what he did before Gene can forgive himself.
How will Gene react in the long term to Finny coming back to Devon?
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Ch. 6 "'Listen, pal, if I can't play sports, you're gpoing to play them for me,' and I lost part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become a part of Phineas." (85)
I find this quote to be very disturbing on the part of Phineas and Gene. First, I think it was wrong for Finny to tell Gene that he had to play sports for him. I also find it creepy. Finny can no longer get the thrill he got out of sports anymore, but he still forces Gene to play even though he does not like sports as much as Finny. Gene is his own person and should not be intimidated into playing sports by his overbearing friend. Gene should not give in to Finny just because he feels guilty for breaking his leg. Second, I think it is strange at the end of the quote when Gene thinks he was supposed to be 'a part of Phineas' because it makes it seem that Gene feels so guilty towards Finny that he is ready to bow down and do whatever Finny wants. Throughout the story, I think Gene has been a veryy shifty character because he just seemed to try to blend into the pack and listen to Finny's every word and I think we will see even more of the same in the chapters to come.
Will Gene start making decisions for himself instead of listening to Finny?
I find this quote to be very disturbing on the part of Phineas and Gene. First, I think it was wrong for Finny to tell Gene that he had to play sports for him. I also find it creepy. Finny can no longer get the thrill he got out of sports anymore, but he still forces Gene to play even though he does not like sports as much as Finny. Gene is his own person and should not be intimidated into playing sports by his overbearing friend. Gene should not give in to Finny just because he feels guilty for breaking his leg. Second, I think it is strange at the end of the quote when Gene thinks he was supposed to be 'a part of Phineas' because it makes it seem that Gene feels so guilty towards Finny that he is ready to bow down and do whatever Finny wants. Throughout the story, I think Gene has been a veryy shifty character because he just seemed to try to blend into the pack and listen to Finny's every word and I think we will see even more of the same in the chapters to come.
Will Gene start making decisions for himself instead of listening to Finny?
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Ch. 5 "I deliberately jounced the limb so you would fall off." (70)
Is Gene crazy? This quote obviously makes any reader think there is something wrong with Gene right from the start. Gene became so filled with envy and jealousy that he would intentionally hurt his own previous best friend. Seriously? Maybe doing something to get them in trouble would be different. (I bet Gene thought of that first and realized Finny would probably talkhis way out of punishment like he had done so many times before.) Even if Gene had hurt Finny on purpose he should not have told him about it.
Is it really Gene's fault for being so envious of Finny since he really is so good at everything?
Is Gene crazy? This quote obviously makes any reader think there is something wrong with Gene right from the start. Gene became so filled with envy and jealousy that he would intentionally hurt his own previous best friend. Seriously? Maybe doing something to get them in trouble would be different. (I bet Gene thought of that first and realized Finny would probably talkhis way out of punishment like he had done so many times before.) Even if Gene had hurt Finny on purpose he should not have told him about it.
Is it really Gene's fault for being so envious of Finny since he really is so good at everything?
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Ch. 4 "No one cared, no one exercised any real discipline over us; we were on our own." (55)
I chose this quote because I believe it relates to how all of Gene's class is about to be drafted into the military and they can get away with more things. Here, Gene is telling Mr. Prud'homme how Finny and he went to the beach, an act that normally gotten them in a lot of trouble. This is a great example of how the teachers know this might be the last fun they ever have they are giving the students a chance to get away with other things. I believe there is some forshadowing at the end of the quote when it says "we were on our own" because it preludes to after they graduate when the students will be out in the real world by themselves in the war.
"Is it only Gene that does not like Finny or do they both secretly hate each other in the middle of chapter 4?
I chose this quote because I believe it relates to how all of Gene's class is about to be drafted into the military and they can get away with more things. Here, Gene is telling Mr. Prud'homme how Finny and he went to the beach, an act that normally gotten them in a lot of trouble. This is a great example of how the teachers know this might be the last fun they ever have they are giving the students a chance to get away with other things. I believe there is some forshadowing at the end of the quote when it says "we were on our own" because it preludes to after they graduate when the students will be out in the real world by themselves in the war.
"Is it only Gene that does not like Finny or do they both secretly hate each other in the middle of chapter 4?
Monday, November 17, 2008
Ch. 2-3
Ch. 2 "Finny never left anything alone, not when it was well enough, not when it was perfect." (29)
I chose this quote because I believe it contains forshadowing for how Finny and Gene's relationship will soon break apart. I think that right now Finny and Gene have a great relationship as two good friends that would do anything for each other. Later in the story I think we will see Finny's overbearing personality take over and he will do something to drastically change their friendship. So far in the story it seems that Gene gets pushed around a little by Finny, mentally and physically. I think this means someday Gene will be pushed too far by Finny and the bond between the two of them will snap.
Ch. 3 "Perhaps I was stopped by that level of feeling, deeper than thought, which contains the truth." (48)
I chose this quote because I believe it truly shows how Gene feels about Finny. This quote talks about how Gene stopped himself from saying Finny was also his best friend. I think Gene realized that if someone asked him who his best friend was he would normally say Finny right away, but when he did not say Finny was his best friend he notices that deep in his heart the truth was that Finny was not his best friend.
Why does Gene always follow in Finny's footsteps?
Why does Finny say the word "Naturaly" all the time?
Ch. 2 "Finny never left anything alone, not when it was well enough, not when it was perfect." (29)
I chose this quote because I believe it contains forshadowing for how Finny and Gene's relationship will soon break apart. I think that right now Finny and Gene have a great relationship as two good friends that would do anything for each other. Later in the story I think we will see Finny's overbearing personality take over and he will do something to drastically change their friendship. So far in the story it seems that Gene gets pushed around a little by Finny, mentally and physically. I think this means someday Gene will be pushed too far by Finny and the bond between the two of them will snap.
Ch. 3 "Perhaps I was stopped by that level of feeling, deeper than thought, which contains the truth." (48)
I chose this quote because I believe it truly shows how Gene feels about Finny. This quote talks about how Gene stopped himself from saying Finny was also his best friend. I think Gene realized that if someone asked him who his best friend was he would normally say Finny right away, but when he did not say Finny was his best friend he notices that deep in his heart the truth was that Finny was not his best friend.
Why does Gene always follow in Finny's footsteps?
Why does Finny say the word "Naturaly" all the time?
Saturday, November 15, 2008
"When I jumped on top of him, my knees on his chest, he couldn't ask for anything better." (19)
This quote is significant because it shows how Phineas wants the narrator to be less of a robot and more free spirited like he is. I think this will play a big role in the story where the narrator both change the other person's personality in a way.
How are Phineas and the narrator friends if it seems they both have rather different personalities?
Phineas- outgoing, free-spirited, exciting, fearless, athlectic
Narrator- obedient, friendly, nostalgic, hesitant, friendly
Narrator- "' We'd better hurry or we'll be late for dinner," I said, breaking into what Finny called my 'West Point stride.'"
Phineas- "No Upper Middler... had ever tried. Naturally Finny was going to be the first to try... to inveigle others, us, into trying it with him."
This quote is significant because it shows how Phineas wants the narrator to be less of a robot and more free spirited like he is. I think this will play a big role in the story where the narrator both change the other person's personality in a way.
How are Phineas and the narrator friends if it seems they both have rather different personalities?
Phineas- outgoing, free-spirited, exciting, fearless, athlectic
Narrator- obedient, friendly, nostalgic, hesitant, friendly
Narrator- "' We'd better hurry or we'll be late for dinner," I said, breaking into what Finny called my 'West Point stride.'"
Phineas- "No Upper Middler... had ever tried. Naturally Finny was going to be the first to try... to inveigle others, us, into trying it with him."
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Kevin McAdam
English 10 Honors/ Mr. George
10/26/08
Antigone Essay
CREON: VILLAIN OR HERO
The greatest difference between the two stories “Oedipus the King” and “Antigone” is the dramatic change in the role of Creon. In “Oedipus the King”, we first see Creon as a level-headed person who is second to the throne and was comfortable with that. Creon proves to be a loyal aid to Oedipus, the king of Thebes, by helping him with problems and giving his advice as well as opinions when they were needed. In “Oedipus the King”, Creon can easily be seen as a “good guy” that many people can relate to compared to other characters like Oedipus who are corrupt with power and have no restraints on his actions. In “Antigone”, the role of Creon, who had recently became the new king of Thebes, had seemingly been reversed as the corrupting nature of power had overwhelmed Creon and changed his entire outlook on justice and fairness. Creon, like Oedipus, soon became skeptical of everyone around him claiming that they were all wrong in their advice and opinions. Creon, being consumed in corruption, could not see the tragedies occurring in his city that he had set out to stop at the beginning of his reign. Creon later encountered a great fall as a result of lack of trust in those closest to him, discrimination against people of Thebes, having poor leadership abilities, and making poor decisions in spite of good intentions. A glaring reason as to why Creon failed as a king, not to mention Oedipus, was that he had such a lack of trust in everyone around that he made it impossible to get through to him by giving advice or relaying warnings. Throughout the kingship of Creon, the only person he would listen to would be himself as his power was so great that he could rule his city the way he wanted without anyone stopping him. From Creon’s perspective, everything was well because he was ruling his city the way he wanted and was blind to all the problems polluting Thebes. To an outsider entering the city, things were in chaos, but he had no power or authority so he could do nothing to stop the madness. “Then by Olympus be quite sure of this: You shall not rant and jeer at me without reprisal.”(225) Even here Creon is mad at his son, Haemon, for questioning his methods of governing Thebes and reprimands him strongly for it. On top of not listening to others’ advice was bad enough, Creon becomes a very discriminating person who tries to make the lives’ of his enemies as miserable as possible. Once Creon had gained his power over Thebes he immediately changed into a discriminating person, especially towards women, which is not exactly one of his most obvious flaws to other characters in the play. In ancient Greek times, women were constantly treated unfairly and had almost no rights. When Creon was sexist towards Antigone and Ismene it was not noticed as much as today because that is the way things were back then. Throughout the play there are several instances where Creon acts sexist including this quote, “Let us then defend our authority and not be ousted by a girl. If yield we must, then let it be to men, and never have it said we were worsted by a woman.”(221) these powerful acts of sexism, although not radical thoughts in those days, were serious blows to the character of Creon. He could have simply been neutral on the subject of women but since he made those comments, he angered people in the city and many gods for not being an unbiased leader. Creon believed that a man was the one who buried Polyneices when he says, “I swear by almighty Zeus whom I revere and serve, that either you find the man who did this burial and stand him here before my eyes, or Hades itself will be too good for you until you’ve first confessed to everything- yes, hanging from a cross.” (203) the news that Antigone broke his law made Creon madder because of his passionate discrimination towards women. Creon’s strong sexist attitude soon just became another piece to the corrupting puzzle of Creon’s reign over Thebes. Creon’s leadership abilities really have to come into question when you think about his tremendous fall from the throne. Creon did not make smart decisions that would have a positive reflection on himself, the gods, and the city of Thebes. Also, Creon tried to force everything to happen instead of letting things run their course. For example, “I’ve sent the edict out that none should bury him or even mourn.” (199) shows how Creon tried to make the decision whether or not Polyneices was admitted into Hades instead of letting the gods do it like they were supposed to. Creon never took the time to sit back and assess the damage that was being put on the city by himself and the citizens. He always tried to handle a million things at once which pressured him to make decisions swiftly. If Creon had the great attributes of a leader he would have taken the advice from Haemon, followed the warnings of Tiresias, and respected the gods enough to follow their orders instead of Creon calling all the shots. The start of Creon’s power of the throne begins badly and ends terribly. Like all leaders at some point, their first intention is to do good things for their people and to make things perfect, but as we see in “Oedipus the King” and “Antigone” things do not always turn out the way they were planned. In “Oedipus the King”, Oedipus’ plan to set out and find the killer of Laius completely backfired on him as he eventually figured out that he was the killer and his wife was actually his mother. Oedipus started out with good intentions and ideas, but once things started to go bad it snowballed into such great problems that Oedipus took his own eyesight. In “Antigone”, Creon believed that by making an example out of Polyneices, he could teach the citizens of Thebes some loyalty for the future. In doing so, he captured Antigone, whom Haemon loved. After Antigone had died, Haemon was furious with Creon but ended up dead after fighting with his father. Once Haemon had died, Creon’s wife, Eurydice, was so distraught she killed herself leaving Creon the only survivor of his family. In the end, each decision Creon made had a negative impact on something or someone which kept him away from his initial goal, to make Thebes a better place. Overall, the fall of Creon was caused by lack of trust, discrimination, poor leadership qualities, and poor decision making. After Oedipus had basically destroyed the citizens belief in him, Creon was the person they to be the new king of Thebes because they believed that he was a level-headed person who could bring peace, stability, and security to their land. From what they had seen in the past he was the right man for the job, but once Creon became king is when he started his fall from glory. Creon thought he could be a good leader and not become corrupt with power but his temptations got the best of him and he was not able to live up to his expectations just like Oedipus. When they were not kings Oedipus and Creon were two extremely different people. When they were rulers of Thebes, through their methods, corruption, and their falls they were virtually the same two people.
English 10 Honors/ Mr. George
10/26/08
Antigone Essay
CREON: VILLAIN OR HERO
The greatest difference between the two stories “Oedipus the King” and “Antigone” is the dramatic change in the role of Creon. In “Oedipus the King”, we first see Creon as a level-headed person who is second to the throne and was comfortable with that. Creon proves to be a loyal aid to Oedipus, the king of Thebes, by helping him with problems and giving his advice as well as opinions when they were needed. In “Oedipus the King”, Creon can easily be seen as a “good guy” that many people can relate to compared to other characters like Oedipus who are corrupt with power and have no restraints on his actions. In “Antigone”, the role of Creon, who had recently became the new king of Thebes, had seemingly been reversed as the corrupting nature of power had overwhelmed Creon and changed his entire outlook on justice and fairness. Creon, like Oedipus, soon became skeptical of everyone around him claiming that they were all wrong in their advice and opinions. Creon, being consumed in corruption, could not see the tragedies occurring in his city that he had set out to stop at the beginning of his reign. Creon later encountered a great fall as a result of lack of trust in those closest to him, discrimination against people of Thebes, having poor leadership abilities, and making poor decisions in spite of good intentions. A glaring reason as to why Creon failed as a king, not to mention Oedipus, was that he had such a lack of trust in everyone around that he made it impossible to get through to him by giving advice or relaying warnings. Throughout the kingship of Creon, the only person he would listen to would be himself as his power was so great that he could rule his city the way he wanted without anyone stopping him. From Creon’s perspective, everything was well because he was ruling his city the way he wanted and was blind to all the problems polluting Thebes. To an outsider entering the city, things were in chaos, but he had no power or authority so he could do nothing to stop the madness. “Then by Olympus be quite sure of this: You shall not rant and jeer at me without reprisal.”(225) Even here Creon is mad at his son, Haemon, for questioning his methods of governing Thebes and reprimands him strongly for it. On top of not listening to others’ advice was bad enough, Creon becomes a very discriminating person who tries to make the lives’ of his enemies as miserable as possible. Once Creon had gained his power over Thebes he immediately changed into a discriminating person, especially towards women, which is not exactly one of his most obvious flaws to other characters in the play. In ancient Greek times, women were constantly treated unfairly and had almost no rights. When Creon was sexist towards Antigone and Ismene it was not noticed as much as today because that is the way things were back then. Throughout the play there are several instances where Creon acts sexist including this quote, “Let us then defend our authority and not be ousted by a girl. If yield we must, then let it be to men, and never have it said we were worsted by a woman.”(221) these powerful acts of sexism, although not radical thoughts in those days, were serious blows to the character of Creon. He could have simply been neutral on the subject of women but since he made those comments, he angered people in the city and many gods for not being an unbiased leader. Creon believed that a man was the one who buried Polyneices when he says, “I swear by almighty Zeus whom I revere and serve, that either you find the man who did this burial and stand him here before my eyes, or Hades itself will be too good for you until you’ve first confessed to everything- yes, hanging from a cross.” (203) the news that Antigone broke his law made Creon madder because of his passionate discrimination towards women. Creon’s strong sexist attitude soon just became another piece to the corrupting puzzle of Creon’s reign over Thebes. Creon’s leadership abilities really have to come into question when you think about his tremendous fall from the throne. Creon did not make smart decisions that would have a positive reflection on himself, the gods, and the city of Thebes. Also, Creon tried to force everything to happen instead of letting things run their course. For example, “I’ve sent the edict out that none should bury him or even mourn.” (199) shows how Creon tried to make the decision whether or not Polyneices was admitted into Hades instead of letting the gods do it like they were supposed to. Creon never took the time to sit back and assess the damage that was being put on the city by himself and the citizens. He always tried to handle a million things at once which pressured him to make decisions swiftly. If Creon had the great attributes of a leader he would have taken the advice from Haemon, followed the warnings of Tiresias, and respected the gods enough to follow their orders instead of Creon calling all the shots. The start of Creon’s power of the throne begins badly and ends terribly. Like all leaders at some point, their first intention is to do good things for their people and to make things perfect, but as we see in “Oedipus the King” and “Antigone” things do not always turn out the way they were planned. In “Oedipus the King”, Oedipus’ plan to set out and find the killer of Laius completely backfired on him as he eventually figured out that he was the killer and his wife was actually his mother. Oedipus started out with good intentions and ideas, but once things started to go bad it snowballed into such great problems that Oedipus took his own eyesight. In “Antigone”, Creon believed that by making an example out of Polyneices, he could teach the citizens of Thebes some loyalty for the future. In doing so, he captured Antigone, whom Haemon loved. After Antigone had died, Haemon was furious with Creon but ended up dead after fighting with his father. Once Haemon had died, Creon’s wife, Eurydice, was so distraught she killed herself leaving Creon the only survivor of his family. In the end, each decision Creon made had a negative impact on something or someone which kept him away from his initial goal, to make Thebes a better place. Overall, the fall of Creon was caused by lack of trust, discrimination, poor leadership qualities, and poor decision making. After Oedipus had basically destroyed the citizens belief in him, Creon was the person they to be the new king of Thebes because they believed that he was a level-headed person who could bring peace, stability, and security to their land. From what they had seen in the past he was the right man for the job, but once Creon became king is when he started his fall from glory. Creon thought he could be a good leader and not become corrupt with power but his temptations got the best of him and he was not able to live up to his expectations just like Oedipus. When they were not kings Oedipus and Creon were two extremely different people. When they were rulers of Thebes, through their methods, corruption, and their falls they were virtually the same two people.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
1. "Think, son think! To err is human, true, and only he is damned who having sinned will not repent, will not repair." (Tiresias, 237)
2. I believe that this quote is significant to the entire play because it says that making an error is not wrong, but not admitting and correcting your mistakes is. In Oedipus the King, all of the evidence added up that Oedipus killed Laius, but he did not want to hear it and kept rejecting every statement Tiresias put towards him. Sure the people of Thebes would be mad at Oedipus, but he could have accepted the facts sooner and tried to repent to gain the crowd's forgivness. In Antigone, Creon wanted to make sure his proclomation for the dead body was carried out so the citizens would think he was truthful. Unfortunately for Creon, he was too arrogant and believed in his words so much they turned in him. Creon kept barking orders for the death of Antigone that he was blinded from seeing that the gods did not want that to happen. Eventually, Creon's blindness and arrogance in one way or another caused the death of his niece, his son, and his wife.
3. Why does Creon still kill Antigone even after he was warned many times not to?
2. I believe that this quote is significant to the entire play because it says that making an error is not wrong, but not admitting and correcting your mistakes is. In Oedipus the King, all of the evidence added up that Oedipus killed Laius, but he did not want to hear it and kept rejecting every statement Tiresias put towards him. Sure the people of Thebes would be mad at Oedipus, but he could have accepted the facts sooner and tried to repent to gain the crowd's forgivness. In Antigone, Creon wanted to make sure his proclomation for the dead body was carried out so the citizens would think he was truthful. Unfortunately for Creon, he was too arrogant and believed in his words so much they turned in him. Creon kept barking orders for the death of Antigone that he was blinded from seeing that the gods did not want that to happen. Eventually, Creon's blindness and arrogance in one way or another caused the death of his niece, his son, and his wife.
3. Why does Creon still kill Antigone even after he was warned many times not to?
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
1. "Let us defend our authority and not be ousted by a girl. If yield we must, then let it be to men, and never have it said we were worsted by a woman." (Creon pg. 221)
2. Since Creon has taken over as the ruler of Thebes, his character has changed from into being a ruthless leader that does not care about anyone but himself. He says that he is looking out for the best intrests of the citizens of Thebes, but his decisions are continuously made based on his opinion of the matter. In this quote we see the theme of females having very little power in those times as Creon shows such great disrespect towards Antigone, Ismene, and all other females. We see that Antigone and Ismene are treated very poorly by Creon as he immediately condemns them to death as soon as they are brought before him. He says that even in this time of struggle in Thebes where discipline by many citizens including females is weakening, it is better to lose to a man and keep your dignity, than to be defeated by a woman and lose all honor.
3. Why would Creon make such terrible comments about women when he knows all of the citizens would be able to hear it and turn against him?
2. Since Creon has taken over as the ruler of Thebes, his character has changed from into being a ruthless leader that does not care about anyone but himself. He says that he is looking out for the best intrests of the citizens of Thebes, but his decisions are continuously made based on his opinion of the matter. In this quote we see the theme of females having very little power in those times as Creon shows such great disrespect towards Antigone, Ismene, and all other females. We see that Antigone and Ismene are treated very poorly by Creon as he immediately condemns them to death as soon as they are brought before him. He says that even in this time of struggle in Thebes where discipline by many citizens including females is weakening, it is better to lose to a man and keep your dignity, than to be defeated by a woman and lose all honor.
3. Why would Creon make such terrible comments about women when he knows all of the citizens would be able to hear it and turn against him?
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