Respond to the following questions 9 from paragraph 2 of the Writing Mantra in freewrite format. Use what you know about life from your own experiences, but also speak to ideas presented in Sophocles' Oedipus. What do these questions mean for the characters in our play?
These questions are listed as follows:
1. What are the obstacles that stand in the way of the things we desire?
2. What strengths are called upon when we set out to face these challenges?
3. What types of external experiences (with society, with other people, with family, with fate, with nature) influence our states of mind and our actions?
4. How and when do these states of mind and actions affect our future, our relationships with others, others themselves?
5. How do these external experiences influence our internal experiences (our emotions)?
6. On the flip side of this coin, how do our internal experiences and our emotions influence our external experiences (with society, with other people, with family, with fate, with nature)?
7. What happens with us internally and externally when our strengths are pushed to the limits and don’t seem to be enough to overcome our weaknesses and our obstacles?
8. How can people change their patterns of thinking, socializing, and behaviors? (Avoid telling us what people "should" do because we are not in a position to make that call. Instead, observe and consider the processes of CHANGE. What DO people do?)
9. How do abstract ideas take on new shapes and forms? (Examples: When and how does pride become hubris? When and how does fear become violence? When and how does love become war? When and how does truth lie? When and how is knowledge “ignorant”?)
*How long does this assignment have to be, you ask? As long as it takes to answer the questions. One page will probably not be enough. Really think about this stuff and work it out in your brainstorm!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
* I suggest revising your thematic statement as soon as you are finished with these questions and your ideas are fresh in your mind. It will be easier than trying to remember all of your thoughts on Monday or Tuesday. The brainstorm above is meant to influence the ideas you already have about the play (characters, plot, etc.) and what it expresses about
- the human condition (what it means to be human)
- human ambition
- human motivation
