THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Questions

Answer all of the following in one blog posting:

1. What is the Phantom to Christine? (You need to think about “great” literature as you consider this question.) He is an angel to her, she believes her father sent an "Angel of music" to protect her and watch over her. (he is also a tutor because he teachers her how to improve her voice and such)

2. Why do you think the Phantom is so enamored with Christine? He is infatuated with talent, he is obsessed with her voice and skill (not only her beauty) he feels they are a perfect match.

3. How does Christine really feel about the Phantom? Explain your answer. In the movie you sense she can't help but fall for him, as it goes on she is frightened by his intensity and only wants to get away.

4. Do you think it is possible to truly love two people at once—passionately—as men and women? Explain your answer. No, there will always be more passion in your heart for the other person (which ever one it may be) In other words, one will always be silver while the other is gold.

5. Why do you think Christine and Raoul declare their love for one another when they haven’t really spent any quality time together? They knew each other as children. You can tell they had a fondness for one another in the past that never burned out. While meeting as adults, they started right where they left off.

6. What’s the importance/significance of the ring? What happens with the ring? Raoul gives Christine this ring as a declaration of their engagement. She wears it around her neck to ease commotion and to not make the Phantom angry with her.

7. What is the importance/significance of the red rose with the black ribbon? The Phantom gives Christine this rose first when he is impresses with her performance. I feel the rose symbolized Christine and the black ribbon symbolizes the Phantom, as if he will always be bound/tied to her.

9. Even though you may not have actually seen a play like The Phantom of the Opera performed on stage, do you think you’d prefer the movie or the stage version? Explain your answer. I would like to see the stage version. Even though I love the movie because of the Characters and the settings the play would be a once in a lifetime experience and more of a theatrical atmosphere. 

10. What didn’t I ask about The Phantom of the Opera that you would like to talk about? (You MUST put something here…..I’m SURE I missed something that caught your attention that I didn’t ask about!!!! Madame Giry: even thought this Character plays a smaller role in this movie I feel she is importance aspect that is looked over. My explanation: She finds the Phantom first at a circus and saves him, brings him to the theater. Years later she still has connection with the Phantom and he speaks through her in sorts. In this play the Phantom is obviously jealous of Christine's love for Raoul because she does not love the Phantom back. Did that Phantom once love Madame Giry and she not love him back? or did she love the Phantom and produce a daughter (Meg, you never hear of her father) but ashamed of his appearance he shuns the world away? What do you think?

Somthing else I don't understand about Oedipus the King.

Who are the strophes and the antistrophe and what does it mean by Chorus when it says it in the play? I know a chorus of a song is like the substance or the "meat" of the song but I'm not sure what it means in a play. Are the men talking to Oedipus real or figments of his imagination? Are the stophes and antistrophe the same person has the chorus....these parts of this play confuse me ALOT, it threw me off and made it harder to comprehend.

Question about Oedipus!

Okay, so I understand that this is a Greek tragedy so it is suppose to be suspenseful and sad BUT there is one thing I don't understand. Mothers have a "mother's intuition"...right? So what I'm not understanding about this play is why didn't Jocasta KNOW that Oedipus was her son, how did she not put two and two together? The age difference must have been quite a gap too (even though we still have cougars)

OEDIPUS Questions

1. Who wrote the play? Sophocles
2. Briefly define the Oedipal Complex. It is a psychoanalytic term made up by Sigmon Freud for a boy being attracting and possessing sexual feelings for his mother and wanting to kill his father.
3. What is the setting of the story, specifically, the where? Thebus
4. As the play opens, what horrible thing is going on? The village is poverty stricken and dieing from the plague and someone has assassinated the king Lauis
5. Whose death must be avenged in order for the horrible thing from number 4 to end? King Lauis
6. Who is Oedipus’ wife? Jocasta
7. Who is Oedipus’ mother? Jocasta
8. Who is Oedipus’ father? King Lauis
9. Who killed the King of Thebes (the answer for #5)? Oedipus
10. What is Oedipus’ tragic flaw? His fate is to marry his mother and kill his father
11. As you read through Oedipus, you'll note that sight/vision/seeing (including "second sight") is very important to the overall story--in the literal as well as the metaphorical/symbolical aspect.  You don't have to do this in complete sentences if you don't want--- Second sight would have meant the fate laid out for Oedipus; more literal would be Oedipus gouging his eyes out at the end of the play do to all the things he has seen done wrong.
12. Describe/discuss/explain/list how sight/vision/seeing/"second sight" is/are used in the play to advance the plot--to advance the story as a whole.  Include an explanation of why it's important as well as how it helps you (the real audience) understand (get) what others on the stage and in the play don't understand. This is important in this play because we all know Oedipus has married his Mother and killed his father before he figures it out himself. (if you pay attention) 13. As a play, there's a lot that can and can not be done on the stage.  Explain why you think some things within this play in particular are done on stage while others are done off stage. The things that are more complex to portray on stage are better done off stage because it is easier for the audience to get a feel of things when there isn’t ALOT going on on stage all at once. (for instance Oedipus gouging his eyes out would be done better off stage so the audience isn’t too thrown off)
14. Do you believe in fate?  Explain fully your answer. Yes, I believe that everyone has a purpose in this world and that what is meant to be will be. (Not so much fate but more destiny) I do believe that your destiny cannot be altered. In other words, you can't change what’s to come because you don't know what’s to come. 15. Explain how fate plays a role in Oedipus. His is clearly told that his fate is to marry his mother and kill his father. The exact things he is told is his fate happens to him even though he must put the pieces together to realize it.
16. Have you ever thought how ironic this play is? It's weird how the events come together and make everything happen the way it does. If things were to happen just a little bit different the story would be completely changed. Yes, if he has never talked to the Sheppard he would have never found out about his Mother. Therefore, I doubt she would have killed herself. Many things in this play would have been different if it wasnt for Oedipus slowly finding ways to uncover the mystery that is his fate.
Extra: Name either one of the other two plays in the Oedipus Trilogy—punctuation count.
Sophocles' Antigone

Poem #5

A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns (page # 770)

I'm not "in love" with this poem, but it caught my attention. It's completely out of my element and I’m not into lovey dovey poetry. This poem is beyond a classic love poem. What intrigued me about this poem was the dialect used. It is obviously a older poem, so a older way of talking would have been used of course. I detected a little bit of Scottish or Irish in this poem which made it easier for me to visualize a setting and mood for the poem. My favorite line of this poem is:

O my Luve's like the melodie

That's sweetly play'd in tune.

 I find that line of the poem very sweet and if I was a romantic I would hope someone might think that about me. This poem would be good for closet romantics who love old Celtic-like poetry.

Poem #4

Bonny George Campbell by Anonymous (page # 687-688)

I find a bit of humor in this poem. It might be because it sounds like a old Irish song of some kind and when I read it I pictured a bunch of drunk men singing in a pub. I love this poem because its a mystery. We never find out what exactly happened to Mr. Campbell, only that his horse came home without him wearing a bloody saddle. (sounds like we need CSI on this one) The rhyming is fun and enjoyable. I read this poem more then once and every time I read it I liked it more and more.

Poem #3

http://www.metrolyrics.com/landslide-lyrics-fleetwood-mac.html

This is a song but I feel like it still pertains to the poetry unit. I love this song because of not only how good of a song it is and because it is by one of my favorite bands (Fleetwood Mac) but also because growing up my mom would always listen to Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac. Something about this song is very comforting and holds true meaning. This song is like a chameleon because you can listen to it and whatever you feel is how you interpret the song. This can be sad, or happy. If you have never heard this song, give it a listen. Keep your mind open, when you hear this song...think poetry. Every line of this song is very poetic and was a poem before it was a song (which is why it works for this assignment) This song will surprise you.