My PURITY Is My Sanity...

As a Christian young woman, not having sex until marriage has become one a rewarding challenge that I have decided to take on. As I was talking to Shoji last night about what we should resist, premarital sex came to mind. It's weird I just noticed that Lysistrata's act of resistance involved sexual purity and mines did as well...lol! How could we outwardly demonstrate our resisting premarital sex? Later on in the evening, the phrase My Purity Is My Sanity came to my mind. I was so excited that I called Shoji and Montrell and explained to them how we should all where the phrase "My Purity Is My Sanity." I have grown comfortable with my beliefs and voicing my beliefs so I was ready to spread our message. At school I got positive responses from my peers. This made me very happy. Sometimes we feel like everyone is having sex and that we are lame or alone in the journey of abstinence. It is okay to make up your mind to value your purity. You are worth waiting for. Marriage provides a stability and connection between a man and woman that makes sex incredible and empowering. Just wait until marriage...

Man & Woman

We live in a competitive world. We attend a competitive school. Everybody is working to stay on top. There has always seemed to exist a competition between man and woman however. The girls are always striving to be just as good as the boys. It has always seemed that we lived in a male dominanted society. The big man at the topnis always exactly that...a man. There was a battle of the sexes going on in Lysistrata that occurs everyday. The women collectively decided that they would weaken the men so that they could get what they wanted. A lot of women complain about how the men hold all the power but I believe the exact oppositie. Women oftentimes possess so much power but never use it. Lysistrata is an example of how women can bring about change when the decide to. Too many times women settle. The women of Greece could have settled to have their husbands at war but they took advantage of the oportunity to improve their enviorment. Now not only will there be peace in their nation but their husbands know that if they cross the line...there will be consequences. If more women stopped crying and utilized their power we could change the world!

Lysistrata vs Hedda Gabler

All of the plays we plays we have read have had a dominant woman character that kept the plot driving. For Lysistrata and the play Hedda Gabler the main charaters are these women and the authors made that evident by entitling the play after Lysistrata and Hedda Gabler. Both of these women attempt to gain control of the men in their lives using their femininity. For Lysistrata she used her sexual power to establish peace within Greece. Hedda Gabler used her womanly traits to control the men in her life because of the lack of control over her own life. The difference between these two ladies is that Lysistrata had the ability to convince others to follow her. Lysistrata had leadership qualities necessary to hold the women together when their hormones raged and they compromised their purity during the time of abstinence. Hedda attempted to control Lovborg by giving him her gun. However, the result of Lovborg's death proved that Hedda really had no control over her situation. While Lysistrata rejoiced for her success in bringing about peace through abstinence, Hedda showed her failure and weakness when she committed suicide. So both these women had the same intentions of changing their enviorment through the control of those around them but the outcome was different because Lysistrata had control over herself when Hedda lacked control over life. The play Lysistrata better captured the theme never underestimate the power of a woman where Hedda Gabler fed into some of the stereotypes expressed about women in both of the plays.

Easy Access...

I think that the choice of clothing in this play is really important. The men and women both wore tunics. This attire points to the fact that the people of Greece were very open men and women. The tunics could not possibly provided a huge amount of coverage. It wad obvious to see when the men were feeling excited because it did not seem like they were very modest in their dress. A few different times during the play, both the men and women unclothe themselves in a very simple, easy removal of their tunic. The men as well as the women wore this type of clothing meaning that they were both usually ready to make love. Their clothing reveal the open sense of sexuality and sensuality that existed in Greece during the time.

Please Don't Fly Away Little Birdie

Lysistrata uses a very interesting metaphor to explain to the women how they need to stick together and not break the vow they have made to remain abstinent until their husbands leave the war and make peace. When the women grow weak and try to leave the Akropolis for various ridiculous excuses to go home and have sex with their husbands, Lysistrata reads to them the scroll, that describes the women as a flock of birds. When I first heard this metaphor, I pictured the birds flying together in formation. the bird in the front breaks the wind so has the most difficult job of flying against the wind and leading the other birds. This bird is Lysistrata, leading the way for the rest of the birds to follow, hopefully making the process a little more easy. The scroll reported that if a bird or woman should dissolve their flock the other women for a perch or a man, that she would be known as the most lewd, the most perverted bird. Therefore this would hopefully encourage the women to hang in there for the cause because they would not want to be the woman to break the formation and be considered the pervert or undesired woman who lacks self control.

PEACE...

There has been a lot of talk about the representation of peace at the end of the play. Peace is a young, naked girl. The men see peace and begin to almost fight over who will get peace because to them peace has become sex. The men are now lusting after peace because they realize that peace is pleasurable. But then the question is will they really remain on peaceful terms? Do the men really want peace as they fight over who gets what part of peace because they want to spread piece around back home or has peace become a sexual object? If the answer to the first question is no them most likely the answer to the second question is that peace for these men is a sexual object only used to advance their own self pleasures. On the other hand, now these men have become to adamant about obtaining peace that they are fighting over peace trying to take it home parts of peace in order to establish peace in their home towns. I wondered if peace would have been represented in another way, would the men have been less distracted by the sexuality of peace as portrayed by the naked girl. Maybe, if peace was more modest however, the men could do without. Throughout the entire play, peace for these men and women has been sex so it makes sense that peace is portrayed like an sexual object. On the other hand, it is sad that peace is not worth more to then. If peace was not as physically attractive would they be as willing to take peace with them? Probably not. The society seems to be very into surface things such as how their women look and wear. But Lysistrata tried to get everyone to see that not just making love but love in itself is so much more powerful and valuable than the people had realized. They took their love for granted and believed that it would always be available no matter what type of life they lived. Since, society was this way, Lysistrata picked to take away their physical pleasure for a while as an encouragement to dig deeper and realize the beauty and pleasure found in peace itself!

The Loveliness of Language

Aristophanes uses somevery interesting metaphors and comical puns which help the story to progress and engage the reader. There is a lot of sexual innuendo behind the language used in the play. On page sixty seven, The Koryphaios of Men used the metaphor of the women as horse back riders. "But we're really sunk if the women take up horses. Scratch the calvary: A woman is an easy rider with a natural seat . Take her over the jumps and she'll never slip her mount." He is comparing horseback riding to the women's ability to stick it out and not have sex. The women are good at love making so the men are in for it if they refuse to do so with their husbands. However, from this metaphor, you can get how the women will never come down once on top of that horse because it is natural for them to ride. So once they prepare for battle and mount, there will be a struggle to get the women down. They have made this oath and the men are realizing that this is not going to be an easy ride for them.

Make Love not War...

Make love not war is an obvious theme in the play Lysistrata. The women use abstinence as a tool in order to encourage their husbands to establish peace throughout Greece. If the men love them like they say they do and desire to be with their wives then eventually they will choose to make love instead of war because they cannot hve both at the same time. Not only will they create a sense of love and peace within their nation but also on a physical level with their wives. By refusing to have sex with their husbands, the women are showing them that they value love over war because the men eventually realize that being with their wives is more important than fighting. Sometimes people get pleasure out of figting. The feeling that develops on the inside after defeating an enemy that has caused you pain creates a high and sense of accomplishment almost. However,the amazing feeling that develops from getting to experience the fullness of someones love is second to none. The men needed to straighten ot their priorities and realize that loving is far better than warring and through practicing abstinence, their wives were able to help them understsnd that they would much rather prefer to make love not war!

The Driving Force

Lysistrata was a very strong, dominant character. This woman stood for peace and sacrificed for peace which demonstrates her unselfishness. She developed the idea of how powerful of a tool the women's abstinence would be. However, Lysistrata had doubts on rather or not the women would be able to complete the task at hand and fulfill the oath the took. Throughout the play, she refers to the women as sluts and weak almost as if they are good for nothing. She is a wise woman and while most people of this time probably thought that women were weak, she did not underestimate the power of a woman. They don't have very many weapons but Lysistrata encourages the ladies to work with what they have. She serves as the leader that holds the women together when they grow weak. Some ladies attempt to sneak out and leave the akropolis to go home and have sex with their husbands. However, Lysistrata becomes almost like a mother to these ladies as she puts them back into their place and works to keep order amongst the ladies. Oftentimes she serves as the spokesperson for the women and addresses the men firmly. Lysistrata is an essential character and Aristophanes develops her into a very round, dynamic character throughout the play.

Sorry Sucka..!

One of the rising action events of the play was when Myrrhine led Kinesias on the left high and dry. I think this is an important scene in the plot development because Kinesias is a representation of the pain the other men are experiencing. Kinesias was screaming for God because he needed to have sex to ease the pain. I was reminded by Talor when we were working on our project that the play occurred over the course of one day. Laughter immediately arose within me because how in the world was it so difficult to practice abstinence for one day. Lysistrata picked the perfect weapon...refraining from sex to get their husbands to come together on peaceful terms because obviously sex plays a big role in their everyday lives. Myrrhine is informed to torture her husband by making him think that they are going to have sex but as soon as things get really intense, simply leave. Myrrhine does exactly this. She teases her husband by running back and forth to "get ready". While this scene demonstrates the men's weakness it also portrays the women's strength and how the strong women kept the others motivated and abstinent. Myrrhine had not had sex for a while either so of course to actually have sex was probably her desire but she was able to keep focus on the goal and task at hand and not be side tracked by her own lusts and pleasures. This incident showed the men that the women meant business and expected them to establish peace in their nation if they wanted to make love to their wives.

Abstinence is the KEY...

In the beginning of Lysistrata, the story really took off. Lysistrata sets up the plot of the play when she announces her plan to the ladies of Greece about how they will be able to end the war between their husbands. The women travel from all over Greece to gather at this meeting Lysistrata has called. However, all of the women were late and definitely were not enthusiastic about attending this meeting. Aristrophanes foreshadows the women's attitudes towards abstinence in their their late arrival and rushing Lysistrata to reveal her reasoning for summoning them. On the other hand, Kleonike, on of the women who would emerge as a leader during the abstinence movement was the first to arrive. When Lysistrata announces that she has a plan that will end the war, the women are excited . One mentions that she will cut herself in half but when they learn the method which will be used to achieve peace they all complain. Anything but sex would have been acceptable even walking over burning hot coals, but refraining from sex was asking a little too much of these ladies.

All Good Things Must Come To An End

So how about that Ibsen? I liked Hedda Gabler. I was trying to decide whether I like The House Of Bernarda Abla or Hedda Gabler better and it is very hard to decide. Hedda Gabler was interesting and full of underlying meanings and action taking place. From the love triangle to Hedda's pistols to Lovborg and his ever so popular manuscript, all the many elements came together to create a successful work of literature. One of my favorite scenes in the play is when Hedda converses with Lovborg and she dishes the dirt on her marriage to Tesman, her desire to control others and the steamy, tension between the two. I was disappointed in Hedda's decision to commit suicide at the end of the play, however, the action was in line with the cowardly character Ibsen had created. The next authors better come hard because we have experienced the goods with Lorca and Ibsen!

That's Not My Baby

I have seen fathers (supposed to be fathers) deny their children. Rarely does a mother deny her children though. It seems that carrying a child on the inside of you for nine month knowing that the baby is actually apart of you creates a bond between a mother and a child that is unlike any other. We know that Hedda is pregnant, but does she? She has to know, right? Whatever the case may be, she is not happy about the idea of becoming a mother. That was the role of a woman during the time. Hedda did not want to fit into the typical life society had created for so many women. However, Ibsen may be commenting on how even when women did not want to comply and wanted to step outside the motherly role, it was impossible. In class, someone commented on how if Hedda did have the child she would totally control its life. Hedda was definitely on a power trip so why would she turn down the opportunity to rule over another person as she so desired? Well, I think things are the total opposite of what my classmate described. When someone has a baby, their life is OVER. Okay maybe that's a little extreme but the point is that the baby becomes top priority and most things will be centered around the child. I personally think being a mommy is one of the greatest jobs and honors a woman could have. I am anticipating starting a family, when the time is right of course. Hedda probably viewed motherhood as a responsibility that would take too much attention off of fulfilling her desires. Do you all think that if Hedda would have acknowledged her baby and accepted the responsibility of being a mother she would have killed herself even if it meant living under Brack's control?

Thora...I mean Thea

Ironically, Thea is one of the most courageous women in Ibsen's Hedda Gabbler. Based upon Thea's physical description, she seems to be the typical woman, very feminine and soft spoken. While Thea may actually be both of these things, she is definitely not a punk. When her marriage goes sour (honestly, it doesn't seem like it was ever sweet) Thea leaves. Thea knows that she cannot be with this man. She also knows, people are going to criticize her for breaking societal expectations. However, these people are not living her life. They could never truly understand what Thea experienced in her marriage. Not only does she leave her husband, she writes. What...a female writer? I know this seems totally lame, but this was the way things were. Women did not work and certainly were not writers. On top of all of this, Thea co-authored the book with Lovborg, her lover whom she left her husband to be with. I have to admit though, the one thing I did not like about Thea was the way she let Hedda disrespect her. Hedda manipulated Thea to find out what she wanted to know and even used physical force. Okay... Thea this would have been a good time to exercise some of that courage you had built up. NO Hedda is all I wanted to hear her say...N-O! But overall, Thea was a very likable character who pushed the boundaries and made the play a little more interesting.

Passionately Pink For the Cure

Hey Generals
Our helped is needed. We have the opportunity to make a difference in the world on Tuesday, October 28, 2008. King is going pink. Wear your best pink outfit or costume to show your support for the thousands of women who have overcame, are battling or left this world a little less beautiful when they lost their fight with breast cancer. Donate what you can. Your second hour teacher will collect the money. Our goal is to raise $1000 which will be donated to the Susan G. Komen foundation. Just know we are not there and actually not even half way there yet. So, we need your help. If you donate more that $5 you get an awesome pin. I have mines so you know I have tried to do my part but in order to achieve this goal, we have to work together. The second hour class who is the most pink and donates the most money will get a free breakfast. Donuts, juice, bagels...ummm sounds good to me. So spread the word, lets work together and make a difference. We CAN defeat this disease that has taken too many of our mother, sisters, daughters, aunts and friends. Let's get PASSIONATELY PINK!
Love and Peace to all!

It takes Two toTango...Apparently Three Is Alright Too

Judge Brack had way too much going on for me. I mean come on...Judge you're forcing it here. I know people say get in where you fit in but he was trying to fit into all the wrong places. Ibsen was making a statement. During this time in history, having an affair was considered obscene. But, two men and a woman...together...at the same time...In the famous words of George Tesman, "Imagine..huh?" However, people have been pushing societies' sexual boundaries since the beginning of time. While one might not have informed the world about their participation in a love triangle, Ibsen is acknowledging that this type of behavior was taking place. Ibsen had courage and he kept it real. I have to admit that when I first read the story I had not totally understood the love triangle. But some of my classmates cleared things up for me. Thanks Benny! Judge Brack wanted to dabble in a little bit of everything. I think this gave him a sense of power and security. The entire scene, when the love triangle is addressed seemed full of sexual tension. I could only imagine how it was acted out. They probably mist in the air. Okay maybe not I'm sure Ibsen and his stage crew were not as technologically advanced as we are. Nevertheless, the scene is interesting and characterizes both Judge Brack and Hedda. Brack is assertive. He works with what he has and plays on Hedda's emotions and lack of spark with Tesman as a way to measle himself right into their relationship. Hedda accepting Brack's offer demonstrates her unconventionality. Hedda carries pistols, tries to run her household and engages in threesomes. All of this would be totally unexpected from a woman of her background during this time in history. However, maybe Hedda should have stuck to living what would have been considered a "normal"life because at the end, things went bad with her and Judge Brack. The three of them would have never worked. Brack and Hedda would have both tried to dominate their relationship while Tesman watched in awe, his marriage unravel right before his eyes. Two may be better than one. But, lessoned learned three...is just way too many!

Jerron...Jerron...Jerron

Some of my classmates and I created The Jerron Montgomery Show (our spin off of the Jerry Springer show) Jerron gave the audience his closing thoughts and I was responsible for writing that part of the play. This was my overall impression of every character and the play.
Jerron: Honestly, Hedda you are crazy. You seem to have some type of front going on here. You try to control everyone’s life and here’s your unraveling right before your eyes. Tesman please do us all a favor and move on. She does not love you. Do you know what that means, uh? Thea I actually admire your courage but I am not sure if Lovborg was ready for the world to know about what you two share. Lovborg you seem to let the women in your life control what is going on. And Brack you said Hedda was a hoe? You… I don’t even know what to say about you. But I do have one word…NASTY! All of you need some help. I’m sorry we were not a help to your dysfunctional family, Berta. But it’s time that all of you get off my stage!!! None of you even fought. You bring a bad name to the Jerry Springer show. My ratings are going to be horrible. To those of you at home… please keep close watch of what is going on in your household. We’ll have another dysfunctional family on the show tomorrow, the ladies of the House of Bernarda Alba. That’s a wrap!!!

The Tesmans were running one dysfunctional household.

Imagine That... Uh?

Tesman is by far the most comical character in the play. I don't think we realized until we got towards the end of the play the importance of Tesman's role. At first Tesman seems naive and ignorant. However, the man is very powerful whether he realizes it or not. Hedda only wishes she could do what she wanted to do and have what she wants when she wants it. But the truth of the matter is that Tesman totally runs that household. Why? He's got the money Baby! Not only is Tesman powerful, but entertaining. His constant uhs.. and huhs are hilarious. Tesman may think that he needs a little reassurance but in reality, Tesman has everything under control. Hedda tried to undermine his power by carrying pistols and burning Lovborg's manuscript but at the end of the day, Hedda still ended up with the short side of the stick. Tesman expects the best out of those around him and tries his best to please everyone. I like the man. How bout you...uh?

Please Don't Shoot

Guns are used as a form of intimidation. Hedda Gabler owned pistols and she was not afraid to use them. In Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, she only pointed her guns at the men in her life. During a time when women were usually powerless, Hedda found a resource that she used to gain control over the men in her life. Tesman and Judge Brack were scared and at the mercy of her finger when she held that pistol. However, Hedda ignorantly turns over her power. Judge Brack smoothly takes the gun from her hands, representing Hedda turning over her power which becomes evident at the end of the play. The deep desire to control someone else's life caused Hedda to lose hers. When Hedda gave her pistol to Lovborg she lost her power. Actually, Hedda was unfit to possess the type of power she had when she held those pistols. It was her own pistol that was used to take her life. Hedda became the victim of her own inabilities to responsibly use her power. I could imagine everyone yelling, Hedda please don't shoot..!

Trading Places...

As I reflected upon Hedda's and Tesman's relationship, I was reminded of Usher's song Trading Places. Throughout the play, Hedda tried to control their relationship. She wanted to trade places with Tesman and be the head of the household.
In the first verse, Usher sings the following:
Now we gonna do this thing a lil different tonight
U gonna come over and pick me up in your ride
U gon knock and then u gon wait
Ooo u gon take me on a date
U gon open my door and ima reach over and open yours
Gon pay for dinner take me to see a movie
The actions described in the verse would usually be carried out by the man in the relationship. However, in this instance, Usher is saying that the woman is going to open his door and pay for the meal.
The chorus of the song is sexual but compliments Ibsen's Hedda Gabler which also makes sexual references.
I'm always on the top tonight I'm on the bottom
Cuz we trading places
We know that despite Hedda's denial, she indeed is pregnant which means that she and Tesman had sex. I could image that even in the bedroom, Hedda attempted to have absolute power.
At the end of the song, Usher says,
"Now we gon do this thing a lil different tonight
Trading places
Stay tuned for part 2
You been me I been u
But we gon switch this thing back"
In the beginning of the play, a lot of people thought that Hedda was in control. However, by the end of the play we realized that because Tesman made the money, Hedda totally relied on him and was under his control. Tesman switches things back right when we begin to think that they had traded places.

The Only Way Out..!

I was reading the end of Hedda Gabler last week and things were getting juicy. I wanted to finish reading because I only had like six pages left but I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. Deciding to finish the book the next day while watching the end of "Dead Man Walking" in ToK was not a thoughtful decision to make. Between the execution taking place in the movie and the suicide or possible suicides taking place in the play, I became overwhelmed with emotions. Is it just me or do we all get attached to characters and they almost become real to us? This is the fruit of an excellent writer. But what is up with all of these people just pulling the plug on life? Do we really have the right to decide when humans will leave this world? I understand that Hedda would not have lived the enjoyable life she demand Tessman to create for her with Judge Brack knowing that the pistol used to take Lovborg's life belonged to her. She would be living at his mercy. But she made the decsion to try to control another human beings life. When things didn't go as planned, instead of living with the consequences of her decision, Hedda punked out. YES Hedda truly is a coward, just as Lovborg said. For her to be such a dominant and seemingly confident character on the outside, Hedda is lost and obviously hurting on the inside to the point where she no longer desires to live. I am sure most of us know someone who has committed suicide. I have experienced what it feels like when someone very close to you decides to end it. Just as I was upset and sad with the person in my life, I was upset and sad when Hedda headed (nice play on words Aliyya...) down that same path. Adela and Hedda in my opinion are playing into the prominent stereotype at the time that still exists today that women are weak. I say, "Stand up, be a real woman, fight and find another way out!"

Poor Miss Tessman

I know there was some discussion in class about the weakness of Miss Tessman. However, I have to say that I actually sympathize with this woman. I think she genuinally cares about the well being of her nephew and even Hedda. "Don't worry yourself about that, dear. I've also put security to cover the carpets and furniture," Miss Tessman told her nephew. Tessman responds, "Security? Aunt Julie, dear-- you? What kind of security could you give?" Miss Tessman answers, "I took out a mortgage on our pension... I saw nothing else to do." Aunt Julie makes sacrifices for Tessman. She knows that Hedda comes from a higher class than Tessman. Back in these days, the man was expected to provide for the family. Miss Tessman knows George will struggle meeting the needs and desires of Hedda so she does what she can to make his job easier. She actually tells Tessman, "What other joy do I have in this world than soothing the path for you, my dear boy?" Aunt Julie finds pleasure in aiding her family members. She comments on how she will visit Tessman and Hedda's home frequently. Aunt Julie does so much for others she changes her outward appearance so that Hedda will not be embarrassed of her. I know to us this seems pretty lame. Would I do this..? probably not. However, she cares about pleasing those around her and seeks the acceptance of others in particular, Hedda's. So I think we should cut her come slack. As an elderly lady, Aunt Julie just wants to hang in there with the other characters of the novel and therefore puts her personality, best interest and ideas on the back burner in order to please others. She raised her nephew and now that he is gone she may fear what the future holds so clings to him for comfort and stability. Poor Miss Tessman...