Journal 3

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

The men in Oedipus are aggressive and controlling with much power. They act on their anger and don't think about what the real truth is, their actions seem to be controlled by their emotions without thought. A strong example of this is when Oedipus is angry at the truth and blames everybody else for the situation. He does not believe Tiresias, he blames Creon, etc. The role of women according to Sophocles is seen through Jocasta. Though her emotions drive her actions just as much, she is able to be more sensible with her actions. She is calm, and does not physically lash out at others at her despair. Women seem to accept what they have and accept their fate without fighting it. This is not a strong model for how women should act and shows that women cannot be so passive with their lives.

Oedipus 2

Does Oedipus demonstrate the qualities of a proficient or deficient leader? Examine Oedipus' actions and word choice. As you continue to read, how does your impression of Oedipus change? How would you describe the personalities of Creon and Teiresias?

Oedipus has shown from the beginning that he has the qualities of a strong leader. He is not afraid to speak his mind and speak for his people. He has the defensive attitude that a leader needs. Oedipus truly does care for his people, though it seems as if sometimes his power might get in the way. However, he may not be the best leader. He is very quick to judge and cannot seem to accept the truth. When Tiresias comes to tell his prophecy, Oedipus shuts him down instantly.

Creon has a lot of power as well, though he has made it clear that he does not wish to take advantage of his power, and he never wants to be in the powerful position that Oedipus is in. Creon is sort of a juxtaposition to Oedipus; his amount of power and lack of pride brings out the powerhungriness of Oedipus and makes it more clear that Oedipus will bring his own downfall.

Oedipus Summary

159 - People have come to pray and ask for help from Oedipus
160 - Priest asks him for help, the city is crumbling
161 - Although he isn't as great as the gods, he is powerful enough to help restore the city
162 - Oedipus has sent Creon to the oracle to learn how he can save the city
163 - creon has come back from the oracle, and he's about to announce what the gods said
164 - Creon says to cleanse the city from their troubles by banishing the murderer of Laius, a leader and avenging his death
165 - The murderer is in Thebes, and that he went to consult the oracle.
166 - Creon says that theives attacked and killed the king, but Oedipus is skeptical. The Sphinx stopped them from finding the killer
167 - Oedipus is worried that this killer will come and kill him as well, she he's sending the guards to find him
168 - The citizens of Thebes pray to the gods
169 - Continuing to pray the gods, they feel like Thebes is helpless and dying
170 - They continue to ask the gods to help them using their different powers

When the Commander asks Offred to play a game of scrabble, she is reluctant. "Now of course it's something dangerous. Now it's forbidden, for us. Now it's dangerous. [...] Now it's desirable" (Atwood 138). Scrabble is a symbol of knowledge in the novel. Atwood uses it to express the reluctance in Offred, where she wants to gain knowledge but knows its dangerous power. Knowledge has become desirable because it is forbidden to them, a temptation that is refrained because of the amount of fear the society has created. This refrainment (wc?) is what oppresses the society. The government just had to create fear, and the rest fell into place.

As Offred plays scrabble with the Commander, she finds it hard to piece together words. "It was like trying to walk without crutches" (Atwood 156). Offred feared her new society so much that she had completely blocked away any prior knowledge that she had before, making it harder for her to play the game. She knew that she was capable of spelling the words correctly, but because she had not used the words in so long, she could not remember. Atwood compares this to a broken leg, where a person is knows how to walk, but needs aid in relearning the skill. This simile shows how much the fear of the society has oppressed any prior knowledge, where knowledge is broken apart so much that it needs to be mended and relearned.