Modern Tragedies and Greek Tragedies - Updated analysis.

When I first read the Greek Tragedy Oedipus Rex, I didn't like it at all as a tragedy.  I found the "tragic" twist more humorous than anything.  I've grown up in a world where tragedy is defined generally as a romance that gets destroyed.  After reading several articles for Stephanie's class, I have realized that Greek tragedies are simply different.  They do not revolve so much around emotional aspects, such as Romeo and Juliet, and focus more on the suffering and fall of an esteemed person, such as Oedipus.  Greek tragedies start with you knowing the back story, including some details that the protagonist does not.  It's a different style of play, one that I have come to appreciate more as I have looked more into it.

*Sorry about the late blog post - I stayed up until 10:30 last night finalizing my Common Application, which I have submitted to 3 colleges.

Is Oedipus Rex a tragedy? A modern analysis

Oedipus Rex has been called "the perfect tragedy" by famous philosophers such as Aristotle.  Aristotle claimed that the "perfect tragedy".  According to his work, Poetics, it does seem like a perfect tragedy. But Oedipus Rex is only a "perfect tragedy" in the sense or Aristotle.

Nowadays, people can relate to tragedies.  They revolve around realistic people, or at least, realistic emotion.  It is almost impossible to relate to a man finding out that he has married his mother and had children with her.  In fact, most people found the ending entertaining and ironic.  We are more attuned to a new kind of tragedy - a love tragedy.  Romeo and Juliet is a perfect example of this.  While most people will probably never experience this in their life, it is at least more normal than the plot of Oedipus Rex.   

Greek Tragedies

This week in class we've learned much about tragedies and how the Greeks were a massive influence on the way we perceive them today.  In the earliest days, there were two main types of plays:  tragedies and comedies.  These were presented annually in a festival for Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility.  The tragedies at the time were very different than what is seen today - they were sung, by a choir.  There was no acting in early tragedies.  As time went on, different thinkers, most notably Aeschylus and Sophocles, changed how these tragedies were preformed.  They added actors, creating dialogue, and Sophocles even established the idea and practice of specialized scenery.  One of his works, Oedipus Rex, was called "The Perfect Tragedy".  After I read Oepidus Rex, I blog about my thoughts.  

Slaughterhouse Five Impressions

I've been reading Slaughterhouse Five for the past few weeks now, for Stephanie's English class.  I entered it with the question "Why do so many people enjoy Vonnegut's writing style?".  I wouldn't know, since I have never read any of his books before.  I picked up Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, and Slaughterhouse Five.  I started with Slaughterhouse Five because it's the most famous of his books.

As I've read the book, I've come to be able to begin to answer my initial question.  I think that the reason so many people enjoy his writing style is because it is humorous, serious, and thought-provoking at the same time.  The characters in his books are extremely interesting, they have actual spirit, they aren't mindless protagonists that always do the right thing.  They're just human.  Finally, I like how he fits in why he decided to write his book so well in the beginning of the book.