Journal #3- Wild Duck

Throughout the play it is clear that Gregers is largely to blame in the unfolding of certain events, especially the revealing of the truth behind Mr. Werle and Gina. Prior to Greger's intervention, Hjalmar was living a life of true bliss, believing he was wise beyond his years and the head of a beautiful family. However, the breakdown of this happy illusion is due in most part to Gregers who initially plants the seed of doubt in Hjalmar's head, forcing him to come to the harsh realization that Gina had an affair with Mr. Werle. By forcing Hjalmar to find this out on his own by questioning Gina only further worsens the situation, causing Hjalmar to wonder what else in his life may too be a lie. In truth Hedvig is the only character who is relevant to the play and also demands no blame for the events that unfold throughout the play. While her mother and Mr. Werle are clearly at fault, being the perpetrators of event that so effortlessly dissolved a family, they are not the only ones to blame. Greger's cannot contain himself, seemingly overrun by either guilt or a vengeful attitude towards his father and spills the beans to Hjalmar, disrupting what up to that point had been a wonderful, but totally imaginative life. Then there is Hjalmar who may at first seem as the clear victim in the play, but a closer look reveals that Hjalmar set himself up for this. Hjalmar's carefree life is a total disaster in the making from the start of the play. By choosing to ignore viewing his family's finances (including a monthly check from Mr. Werle), he hides the truth, burying it further and further from the surface. His everyday life sets him up for tragedy by continuing to reassure him that his life is wonderful, that nothing is out of the ordinary. This serves to devastate Hjalmar later on during the play when the truth is finally known to him. However, Hedvig does not and should not shoulder any of the blame for the events that unfolded. After all, how is it her fault that her mother chose to lie to her about her entire life? Although, it seems like Hjalmar is the primary victim of  the affair, Hedvig is much more upset and grief stricken, going so far as to take her own life. I really feel that Mr. Werle should shoulder more of the blame here. His unfaithful behavior not only destroyed his wife, but also resulted in the death of his own daughter, Hedvig. All throughout the play, Werle is not mentioned that much and very little blame is directed towards him in regards to the tragic misfortune of the Ekdals. Seeing as he personally provided the drama by sleeping with Gina, as well as funding his lie with a discreet monthly donation, I think that he deserves much more of the blame than what was given to him in the play.

Journal #2- Wild Duck

Ibsen uses the motif of decay/disease both literally and figuratively throughout the novel to express his belief that  hiding the truth has negative effects that deteriorate ones physical health as well as social. Throughout the play we see that old Werle suffers from poor eyesight, a trait he shares with Hedvig, his illegitimate daughter. Ibsen uses this disease to raise questions about how Hedvig got this disease, to which Hjalmar replies that heredity is to blame. Gina is quick to point out that it comes from Hjalmar's side of the family, "Hjalmar's mother also had bad eyes" (147). Although neither one of her parents have any sort of vision problems, Hedvig eyesight continues to grow worse, having to cover her eyes to read, showing Ibsen's belief that lying only serves to hurt those involved. Ibsen also uses the ideas of disease and decay through Gregers in order to frighten as well as enlighten Hjalmar. Gregers warns Hjalmar that he has an insidious disease within in him, referring once again to loss of sight- but this time figuratively. He tells Hjalmar that he has gone to die in the dark to which he replies, "Gregers, you're my old friend-please-don't talk anymore about sickness and poison. [...] In  my house nobody talks to me about ugly things" (170). From here we can see Ibsen's desired effect of the truth, as something that is not always wonderful and joyful, but instead a more realistic view as something that hurts but is necessary. Finally, in the conclusion of the play we see another example of Ibsen's view on truth. Gregers has told Hjalmar the awful truth about Gina and Werle and Hjalmar confronts Gina demanding that she come clean about the whole thing. When he asks her if Hedvig is his daughter and she replies that she doesn't know Hjalmar loses it. "I don't want that. [...] My home is down in ruins around me. (Breaks into tears.) Gregers, I have no child!" (195). From this we can see Ibsen's final, most crucial stance on the truth, that it can be absolutely devastating. Through the play the pattern arises showing truth as a harsh, cold truth bearer that can often catch you off guard. Whereas previously in dramas before Ibsen's time the truth had been embellished as the light that guided righteous ones to happiness, now it was being depicted in its real form.

Journal #1- Wild Duck

Throughout the play we can see that Hjalmar has false perceptions of himself. Towards the end of Act 2 Hjalmar discusses how humiliating his father's behavior is and says that helping him return his status is his mission in life. He says that he is independently fixed, and that is what helps him pursue his dream, when in reality the generous donations from Mr. Werle are what is keeping the family economically alfoat. Hjalmar is also always talking about how he is always constantly working on an invention, and that it keeps him busy. He claims that it extends his craft to unimaginable heights, however when Gregers asks for specifics Hjalmar becomes defensive and tells him not to ask questions like that. Later on we can see Hjalmar at "work" during which he does nothing more than sit in his chair in the study and think, or more likely get distracted from all of the oddities on the walls. From these examples it becomes pretty clear that Hjalmar believes that he is a powerful head of the household, when in reality he spends most of his time doing nothing, making no progress on his "life mission". He believes that his photography business is doing quite well however it is just Mr. Werle's charitable donations that are providing the family with any source of real income.
Not surprisingly, Hjalmar also has false presumptions about other characters in the play. When he is first speaking with Gregers at the dinner party he tells him that he is relieved to find out that Gregers no longer has anything him. Gregers replies in shock telling Hjalmar that that was never the case. Unconvinced, Hjalmar continues to try and prod the truth out of Gregers: "I know you did, Gregers; it was your father himself who told me" (123). From this we can see that not only does Hjalmar have misconceptions regarding his friend Gregers, but also in regards to Mr. Werle as well, seeming to think that he is quite trustworthy when in fact he is the one doing his best to keep Hjalmar in the dark.
Gregers is definitely one who recognizes the facade that Hjalmar is living in. Out of either guilt or revenge against his father, he tirelessly pursues to reveal the truth to Hjalmar. Although for over fifteen years he has ignored it, Gregers now finds himself unable to continue to let his friend live the lie that has been intricately woven around him for some time now. At first Gregers tries to hint to Hjalmar discreetly that there is definitely something strange about how generous Werle was acting towards Hjalmar both with wealth and his help in getting Hjalmar settled with photography. However, when it doesn't, seem to register with him, Gregers takes Hjalmar on a walk and reveals to him the devastating truth that Hjalmar must now confront.

Journal #3- Brave New World

Throughout the final third of the novel, we can observe a continued development of John, while also identifying similar motifs. Shakespeare is a recurring theme in the novel, as John continues to immerse himself in his works, now often quoting Shakespeare several times in a conversation. This serves to set John apart from the rest of civilized society in two ways: His language is foreign and confusing to the simple minded alphas, betas, deltas, etc. Also, his morals are drastically different from those of the World State, wanting a loving devotion to just one person forever, and being chaste until married. This fact sets up another motif of John and Lenina's desire for one another. Again, both privately confide to themselves their feelings for each other, but never actually mentioning it to the other until Lenina shows up at John's apartment. When Lenina tries to force herself onto John, the savage descends into a state of rage, throwing her off of him, swearing at her, and angrily pacing the room. This demonstrates another one of the human qualities that he demonstrates that is lost in the new society, anger and rage are done away with according to Mustapha Mond, instead the people are given a weekly injection of adrenaline as substitute.

In the third part of the novel, John travels to several new places before settling at the abandoned lighthouse. While still in society, John visits his mother in the Park Lane Hospital for the Dying, a sixty-four story building which sole purpose was to comfort those dying with beds, T.V.'s, and scented air. In this society, death is natural and inevitable, so there are no courses taken to avoid it, in fact members from all levels of the caste system are desensitized to death at an early age to achieve stability. Although a tough pill for John to swallow, the situation is made worse when a nurse brings up a batch of identical, bug-eyed deltas to be desensitized. Having never seen a person as old, and ugly as Linda, several of them crowd around the foot of her bed whispering quite audibly things like "isn't she awful?" (202), only serving to further enrage the savage. When he smarts the young delta by bopping him on the ears the nurse returns upset with John for disturbing the process prompting John to leave. After John talks with the controller, Mustapha Mond, John decides to defy society by settling in an abandoned warehouse, some distance from London. There he crafts his own bow and arrows, makes a garden, as well as a flogging whip that he often uses on himself to correct his behavior should he think of Lenina. This serves to create a volatile setting for the savage who later finds himself surrounded by hundreds of fans who have seen his movie unbeknownst to him. He threatens them with his whip but in their numbers prove too many for John, as he ends up taking part in an orgy while under the influence of soma, a devastating blow to his psyche that John can never recover from.

The language in the last part of the book starkly differs from that of John, to Mustapha Mond, to the general population of London. While continuing to read Shakespeare, John frequently quotes the bard during his conversations. "Outliving beauty's outward with a mind that doth renew swifter than blood decays" (191). This quote demonstrates the high level language that John uses in comparison to that of the Alphas, Betas and other caste members. Also, it shows the mindset of John who believes in loving things that aren't beautiful, something that starkly conflicts to Alpha conditioning, and is incomprehensible to them, including Lenina. In the same scene Lenina shows the reoccurring simplicity of her people's language, one that revolves around mindless slogans that are ingrained into their minds via hypnopaedia. "Put your arms around me," she commanded. "Hug me till you drug me, honey" (193). Through this we can see another instance of the lifestyle these people choose in regards to a devotion to pleasure. Also, her use of a mindless slogan reflects her values in society, sex and drugs, vastly different from those of John the Savage. Mustahpa Mond, the Controller of the London region, is a very educated man, having read many of the books that can no longer be found anywhere else, simply because they are old. Mond expresses a determination to focus on the new world is not the same as it was during Shakespeare's time, there are no struggles, no passion, no lessons in need of being taught. He also says that people today wouldn't be able to understand the writing anyway, "And it's what you never will write," said the Controller Because if it were really like Othello nobody could understand it, however new it might be (220). Here we can see Mond's similar language to John's that is higher level, but not Shakespearean in context. He displays a certain understanding of the situation the world is in, although he wouldn't mind having these old ideas like the Bible and Shakespeare incorporated into society, he is well aware of the conflict it would produce, keeping the world from maintaining stability. Mond is able to accept this truth which is a key aspect that sets him apart from people like John and Hemholtz, allowing him to rule over the people with a knowledgeable understanding of what must be done to preserve society.

Journal #2- Brave New World

Shakespeare is mentioned again and again in this section, brought up by John the Savage, to express his feelings about someone or something. The use of Shakespeare to characterize a "savage" starkly contradicts the  notion that the civilized Alphas, who never read and only repeat hypnopaedic slogans, are the civilized and sophisticated ones. I believe that this was meant to show that we can find great insight from the past, often better than we can find in literature today. Soma was once again commonplace throughout this section, except that now it was being abused by its users. Lenina gives herself a full holiday after she firsts arrives at the reservation, knocking her out for over a day. Once John and his mother Linda are brought back to civilization, Linda is kept constantly under the influence of Soma, with the intention to slowly but peacefully kill her. Soma has gone from being a nice relaxing minute or two of paradise, to a drug that is abused to its fullest extent, cutting its users off from the real world.

The setting in this section greatly expands from that of the first section. The savage reservation is introduced and constantly described as being filthy and disgusting. To Alphas who always say "cleanliness is next to Fordliness", this new environment is a shock to the senses. We are later informed that reservations were any area that was undesirable, either because of its climate and geography, or simply a lack of resources to plunder. This only helps to describe the desolate, rocky terrain that the savages have to endure. Later, John is mainly confined to Bernard's apartment, mostly because he is tired of being shown around like some exotic zoo animal. In fact, He locks himself in his room during one of Bernard's parties, which greatly upset the guests who in turn started immediately antagonizing Bernard. John's room becomes a place of refuge, as he takes to reading more and more Shakespeare there, specifically Romeo and Juliet.

The language of this section doesn't seem to change that much at all. When the savages speak, however, the conversations are about simpler ideas, but the language itself seems just as civilized. The savages talk about bowls, cups, and bowls but still explain things in a manner that is easy to understand. The language of the Alphas, specifically Bernard, seems to deteriorate however, mentioning less and less of the complex fertilization jargon, while becoming more intertwined with his emotions, saying things that are more brash and opinionated. John on the other hand, has continued to immerse himself with Shakespeare and finds a common friend in Hemholtz who also enjoys the sophisticated, and often insightful words of Shakespeare. It seems clear that the author is using language to portray the decline of an alpha, into emotional savagery, while also depicting the true intellectual depth of someone who is seen as an incompetent savage.

Journal #1- Brave New World

In regards to motifs, one of the prominent topics brought up has to do with isolationism. Bernard Marx exemplifies this trait more than any other character in the novel. Whereas most characters want to join in with the crowds and socialize, Bernard is more content being alone and thinking, something that is clearly evident and controversial when he pauses his helicopter to watch the moon and waves while with Lenina. Her surprise and breakdown in response to the situation clearly indicate the strong values of the society they live in, one where people are free to express themselves within a certain set of limitations. Also, the fact that at the beginning of the novel we can see that the D.H.C. takes pride in the facilities ability to produce "identical" men and women is peculiar given that individuals like Bernard and Hemholtz seem to defy that preconceived mold. I believe that this idea will contribute to a major theme that universal human conformity is simply not feasible.

The setting of the novel takes place in London, in what we can presume is still a futuristic date in time. The city is lively with many factories, facilities and apartments dotting the skyline. The first few chapters revolve around a certain spawning facility where people are artificially made, not born. Inside thousands of eggs are fertilized and specifically modified to fit a certain peg in the caste system that is implemented into the society, alphas being the largest and smartest specimens, while gammas and epsilons bring up the rear, doing undesirable jobs that are all too necessary. This sort of scientific, yet unsettling environment provoke a distrusting view on the society as a whole, as though they are hiding something.

Language is very unique in this novel. The people have embraced Henry Ford, a famous inventor and father of the modern day assembly line as a God-like figure. During conversations, in instances where one might normally  say "God" or "Lord", instead the word "Ford" is substituted, symbolizing the significant impact he has on the society. Also, I noted the denouncement of words like "mother", "father", and "born", suggesting that this society looks down on what is considered normal in our society, that having families and devoting yourself to one person only creates more issues and keeps everyone from "being happy".