The Graduate Essay -- essays papers

The Graduate This paper will be both a critique as well as an analysis of the relationships between both my generation and the time period in which the movie took place. In the critique, I which to look at the movie score and the dependency that I felt Ben and Katherine had for each other. There were several issues that I felt my generation had in common with Ben's generation. These issues were the need to rebel and the detachment we feel from our parents. There were several aspects of the movie, which I think should have been removed. The first aspect is the movie score, which was sung by Paul Simon and composed by Simon and Garfunckel. In my opinion, the music was very folksy. Folksy in the way that it should be something that people meditate to not listen to on a movie screen. I also felt the movie score did not fit in with the movie, because the music was too mundane for the fast pace of the movie. The next aspect is the dependency that Ben and Katherine had for the other. I do believe that they really loved each other, but that each person represented something that the other did not see in themselves. I felt that Katherine saw in Ben his rebellious behavior which she wish she had and Ben wished that he had Katherine's quiet and peaceful spirit. I really felt this movie related to my generation because it touched on a few important issues that are still common now. These issues are the need to rebel from society, and the detachment from the parent...

Acceptable subject for the play Essay

A taboo subject is a subject that people are embarrassed or find difficult to talk about. Death is a taboo subject because most people are scared of death and don’t want to about it. Usually, when people are talking about taboo subjects, they make it sound better than it is. This is called a euphemism. Lee Hall makes it acceptable in many ways. The first thing is that death is introduced very early on (the first page) so the audience won’t be surprised by it later on, â€Å"the poor lady who dies so well† â€Å"If I could ever grow up. I would †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.do the dying† Also death is introduced with the opera to make death seem beautiful and like an art. The opera is played at various points throughout the play to keep the theme of the staged and beautiful opera going. Spoonface thinks she understands death, â€Å"and the dying makes me so clear† which makes the audience feel better because she feels she knows what is happening but isn’t scared at all. She has a childlike attitude and isn’t embarrassed to talk about anything. She says everything exactly how it is so the audience know exactly what’s going on. She doesn’t use euphemisms to make things sound better than they are, â€Å"I was backwards† â€Å"And now I was going to die†. The audience now know that spoonface knows she is going to die. Normally this could be quite upsetting for the audience because no one likes to hear about people dying but spoonface doesn’t seem to mind therefore the audience are made to believe that the fact spoonface is dying is not too important. Later on in the play, Spoonface, her mum and her dad find out that she can ‘do numbers’. They think that she is a genius which is good because then there isn’t the feeling that Spoonface is extremely unfortunate and nothing ever goes right for her. The audience now know that Spoonface has got her own special thing that she is better at than most people which could make the audience less upset about her condition. Spoonface is not scared of death because she believes that when she dies, she will go to heaven as she believes in God, â€Å"God came and touched me on my head†. This faith she has makes the death seem a lot less worse because the audience know she believes in life after death and spoonface doesn’t seem to mind about the fact she is dying. Because Spoonface doesn’t seem to mind dying, the audience could get mixed feelings. Either they feel better because she doesn’t mind dying or they feel worse because they think Spoonface doesn’t understand what dying is. When Spoonface goes into the hospital, Doctor Bernstein talks openly about the holocaust and concentration camps and spoonface interprets it into her own words quite graphically. This puts Spoonfaces condition into perspective and sort of makes the audience feel more sympathetic towards Doctor Bernstein rather than having everyone focusing their attention on Spoonface. This doesn’t actually make death more bearable, it just gives the audience something tragic to think about to make Spoonface seem less unfortunate. Another thing is the slight humour of the play. It must have been a hard subject to put humour into but Lee Hall did this very well. An example of this humour is when Spoonface gives her list, â€Å"I was supposed to die†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ and we had fish fingers. † Spoonface thinks that having fish fingers for dinner is just as important as the fact she will die. Everyone knows that these two facts are not as important as each other and that having fish fingers is not really important at all. Because Spoonface thinks these things are of equal importance, the audience are led to think that death is not really important either. Lee Hall has written this play through the perspective of a naive child (Spoonface) so he can say whatever he wants and be as blunt as he wants. There are layers of meaning throughout the play because of Spoonfaces naivety. At the end of the play, Spoonface talks about ‘the sparks’. This is her idea of the point of life and death. She believes it is her destiny to be the way she is and that she has found her ‘spark’ and that once you find the spark there isn’t any point in you being alive. The audience think that she has completed what she was put on the earth to do therefore she isn’t really needed. The final point is that after reading the play, the audience gain better awareness and understanding of the play and it may alter people’s perspective on life and could make more people be happy to be alive.

Oedipus Rex and Aristotle Essay example - 894 Words

The Six Elements of a Tragedy in â€Å"Oedipus Rex† Aristotle’s â€Å"The Poetics† describes the process of a tragedy. It is not the guide per se of writing a tragedy but is the idea’s Aristotle collected while studying tragedies. A tragedy, according to Aristotle, consists of six major points. The first and most important is the plot, which is what all the other points are based on. Such points are: character, language, thought, melody, and spectacle (Aristotle). A prime example of the usage of these parts in a tragic drama is evident in Sophocles’ â€Å"Oedipus Rex†. The plot of a tragedy usually consists of a tragic hero’s fall from grace. Aristotle describes plot in two ways a simple plot and a complex one. In a simple plot a fall from†¦show more content†¦Oedipus flaw is he does not know who he is this ignorance leads to him bringing about his own downfall. Next on the list of elements of a drama is thought. Th e element thought is used to support character and is evident in the speeches’ of the characters (Aristotle). These speeches reveal the thoughts and feelings of the character; further allowing the reader to develop a relationship with the character. In â€Å"Oedipus Rex† thought is illustrated in the speech Oedipus makes when he realizes the truth about his situations. Language, or diction, is fourth on the list of a tragedy major points. Aristotle points out that metaphors are the most useful form of language in a tragedy. The main metaphor portrayed in â€Å"Oedipus Rex† is that of sight and blindness. The king things he sees all but in reality he is blind to the truth. Ironically the only one who can see the truth is the blind seer Teiresias. Oedipus begins the play able to see but is blind and ends the play blind but able to see. The fifth major point in a tragedy is melody. Melody involves the chorus of the drama. Aristotle contends that the cho rus should not be just be an intermission but should add to the plot and character of the tragedy (Aristotle). This is exemplified in â€Å"Oedipus Rex† in lines INSERT BOOK QUOTE. The last and least important element of tragedy is spectacle. Aristotle rates this last because itShow MoreRelatedOedipus Rex900 Words   |  4 PagesThe philosopher Aristotle wrote his work Poetics as a deconstruction of aesthetics approximately 50 years after the death of Sophocles, the author of Oedipus Rex. Aristotle was a great admirer of the works of Sophocles and is said to have considered Oedipus Rex to be the perfect tragedy and the basis for his thoughts in Poetics. He defines tragedy as, â€Å"an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, theRead MoreOedipus Rex as Aristotalian Tragedy1506 Words   |  7 Pagesplaywright, Sophocles modeled his play Oedipus Rex on Aristotles definition a nd analysis of tragedy.Since according to Aristotles definition, A tragedy is an imitation of action that is serious, complete and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished artistic ornaments, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not narrative with incidents that evokes pity and fear of a persons emotions. Also Aristotle identified the basic six parts a tragedyRead More Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex Fulfills All of the Requirements of a Tragedy1088 Words   |  5 PagesSophocles’ Oedipus Rex Fulfills All of the Requirements of a Tragedy Throughout Poetics, Aristotle describes what traits a tragedy must have to be successful. To support these choices, he makes use of a small analysis of many tragedies, including many of Sophocles’ plays; Oedipus Rex is one of the plays mentioned in Aristotle’s Poetics. Some of these traits include a successful plot structure, recognition scenes, and a correct choice for its hero. In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles fulfills all ofRead MoreGreek Mythology And Mythology Of The Iliad, Oedipus Rex And Others1294 Words   |  6 Pagesthey used often in their works; examples of this are seen in the Iliad, Oedipus Rex and others. The existence of Greek mythology and narratives plays a significant role in shaping the arts, most notably dance and performance. It also prompted the Aristotle Poetics that discussed the value of six specific traits in every tragedy. It has even encouraged the usage in other fields of study, the most notably the existence of the Oedipus complex. The inclu sion of different narratives, and symbolisms helpRead MoreThe Three Themes of Oedipus Rex1106 Words   |  4 PagesThemes of Oedipus Rex The contrast between trust in the gods oracles and trust in intelligence and pride plays out in Oedipus Rex. Of course, the irony is, that Oedipuss and the oracles’ methods both lead to the same fallout. Oedipuss hunt for truth reveals just that, and the truth confirms the oracles prophecies. Oedipus kills his father and marries his mother. The irony is that the reader knows this from the very start of this Greek drama. There is also irony in the fact that Oedipus is theRead MoreOedipus Rex Research Paper1035 Words   |  5 PagesOedipus Rex Oedipus Rex is one of the most well written plays. Oedipus Rex has a tragic flaw which leads to his destruction. Oedipus’ flaw leads him to suffer and arouses Pity and Fear from the crowd; Scared that it could happen to them. The Unity of Plot has a beginning, middle and end, along with that Oedipus grows in knowledge about his birthing, but is ignorant for not realizing he brought the problems on Thebes. Oedipus is a confident, wise and strong-willed character, but these characteristicsRead MoreIs Oedipus Rex A High Minded Man?782 Words   |  3 Pages11  October,  2014   Does  Oedipus  fit  the  qualities  of  a  high ­minded  man?      In   Greek   society   entertainment,   like   the   theatre,   was   an   enormous   part   of   many   lives.   Theatre   represented   a   culture   and   values   found   in   Greek   society.   Theatre   was   also   a   way   for   many   different   of   people   to   enjoy   similar   things,   despite   being   from   different   classes.   ​ Oedipus   Rex   was   one   of   the   major   plays   shown   in   Greek   society.   Sophocles’   Oedipus   Rex   ​ tells   the   hardship  Read MoreOedipus Rex As Tragedy : The Philosopher Must Be Crazy845 Words   |  4 PagesOedipus Rex as Tragedy: The Philosopher Must Be Crazy Throughout the ages many scholars have agreed with Aristotle s assessment of Oedipus Rex (the Athenian tragedy written by Sophocles) as the truest form of tragedy; however, modern viewers might remark that it is unworthy of such praise and instead should be exemplified as the proof that an addition to Aristotle s ideal of tragedy itself is required: the element of timelessness. Throughout history, many have believed that man s ability to produceRead MoreEssay on The Heart of Tragedy Based on Oedipus Rex600 Words   |  3 Pagesthe Ancient Greek period, Aristotle, a great philosopher, wrote a book called the Poetics to describe what makes a great tragic play. Using the Oedipus Rex by Sophocles as the basis for his book, Aristotle goes into great detail about plot, character, and much more, breaking up the components of a tragedy. Since Oedipus Rex had a huge part in the creation of Aristotle’s book, it fulfills many of the Greek philosopher’s requirements for a tragic p lay. According to Aristotle, plot is one of the mostRead MoreOedipus Rex As Modern Tragedy : Catharsis Or Cognitive Emotion883 Words   |  4 PagesOedipus Rex as Modern Tragedy: Catharsis or Cognitive Emotion Oedipus Rex, an Athenian tragedy written by Sophocles, tells the tale of a noble king brought low by a serious of harrowing events set in motion by the Gods and unwittingly furthered by the actions of the king. Aristotle believed that Oedipus Rex was the prime example of the tragedy; however, modern readers might entertain that the play is unworthy of such praise. In this paper I will put forth the argument that Oedipus Rex, though heartfelt