Oedipus Journal #1

Comparison: To what extent would you agree that plot should be valued more highly than style in the work. In your answer you should refer to two or three of the works you have studied.

To me, the plot and  the way that the story is set up is the most interesting part, and I think that it holds the most information about the theme. They are setting up a situation in life, and the outcome is supposed to tell us something. For example, the storyline in Oedipus is meant to convey the idea that ignorance is bliss and what we don't know can't hurt us. He goes from a powerful king who is respected by everyone, to a dishonorable man who has killed his father and married his mother, and is now disgusted with himself. His whole life, as well as his power, was a lie. This plot helps to develope a theme. However, the stylistic techniques within the play, such as the motif of blindness, help to bring excitement to the story through heavy foreshadowing, but they also create a second theme. Blindness is a symbol of power and the truth, while sight is weakness and lies. This creates the irony of blind people being able to "see" the truth better than people who can actually see.

However, as I was reading 1984 by George Orwell, I noticed that a lot of the techniques used had more of an effect on me than the actual plot. For example, the motif of mind control very clearly communicated Orwell's fear that an overly powerful government could potentially control the thoughts, as well as the actions, of its people. These small, single instances were more powerful and frightening than the plot of a freethinking man being punished (and tortured) for disagreeing with the government.

I think that there is also a huge difference between the current and ancient writing styles, and that they may have had different uses for different things. For example, there is a ton of foreshadowing in Oedipus, but I feel like the purpose of this is to entertain the audience, whereas today it seems like certain techniques today are used to communicate a certain message.