Rafi Arnob, Period 8, 12/02/21

 Rafi Arnob, Period 8, 12/02/21

Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or nonfiction covered in class.

Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.

How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

When we first started reading Oedipus Rex, we discussed the role of plays in Greek life during Sophocles’ time. Even though the tragedy was filled with dramatic irony, rich characters, and enjoyable declarations, I was a bit puzzled when I learned that the Greek people who attended these plays often knew the plot. In contemporary times, we tend to avoid spoilers in order to experience a story in its rawest form, so attending a play that you already know the plot to  seemed like a foreign concept. Like us, the Greeks also watched plays for entertainment purposes but unlike us, they thought of plays as a way to rid themselves of negative thoughts and energies (which was also a foreign concept to me). However, as we kept reading, I started to experience these feelings myself. Knowing that Oedipus murdered Laius made his declarations of vengeance against the killer that much funnier. On the flip side, knowing the relationship between Jocasta and Oedipus made it so much more infuriating when clues surrounding their situation seemingly flew over their heads (especially regarding the prophecy). Experiencing the peaks and valleys of the play put me in the shoes of the people of ancient Greece and  I finally started to understand why someone would go to a play knowing the plot. There’s a certain satisfaction in piecing together and focusing on more abstract elements (such as prose and irony) of the story when you don’t have to worry about what’s going on in it as much. The dramatic irony served as both the humor and the horror in the play and if I didn’t know the plot, there’d be no way I could experience it the way I did. 

Earlier, I said that the ancient Greeks differed from us because they thought of plays as an outlet for their emotions. I now realize that we are the same as the Greeks in this manner. When characters we like die, we’re relatively upset, when they succeed, we’re relatively happy. Although we may not realize it, we’re attached to characters and vicariously live through them just like the Greeks. Moreover, we use sources of entertainment as forms of coping, this way we’re refreshed for whatever task needs our undivided focus. This is a modern reflection of the way Sophocles designed his plays as he thought of plays as a vice away from the harsh reality of life.