Journal Entry 2 Anouilh Antigone

Literary Devices

• Smooth Silken Hair of Isemene (Image): Your Beautiful hair! How easy it must be never to be unreasonable with all that smooth silken hair so beautifully set round your head" (pg 10): This image of Isemene establishes her rank in society and how she thinks. Since society has always expected her to look a certain way and help her to look that way, it also made her act a certain way too. Isemene's hair shows her obedience, for it is not wild and our of control, but primped up and beautiful, thanks to the beauty products that society gave to Isemene.
• Foil: "I'm older than you are. I always think things over, and you don't. You are impulsive." (pg 11): This foil is between Isemene and Antigone. This foil shows just how different the 2 sisters are. Antigone was raised up to be a little bit more wild, which is why "little boys- [and] little girls" (pg 16), who are some of the most wild, look up to Antigone. They look up to her as a kind of idol. However, Isemene talks about how she always thinks things through. This is because she thinks about how to work with the societal laws and restrictions, while Antigone just goes with her passion.
• Parallel Structure: "There you go, frowning, glowering, wanting your own stubborn way in everything" (pg 11): This alliteration helps out in a certain way. By having multiple -ing endings, it tells of how Antigone is always doing these actions, never anything else. Also, the "i" in "-ing" could represent Isemene herself. By having that in there, Isemene could just be trying to convince herself that she is not the same as Antigone.
• Symbol of Earth, Wind, and Water: Why didn't I "understand that I must not play with water- [...] Or with earth [...] or run in the wind so fast[...] (pg 11): All of these symbols help to emphasize Antigone's character. Water represents her how she is able to flow around anything, to find a way around or out of trouble, but also shows that she goes where she pleases. The earth shows how Antigone has a stubborn resolve. And the wind shows again how she is free, but also a little bit playful and mischievous. Curious to note the absence of fire, which was in the Sophocles' play about Antigone.
• The Number 1000: "A thousand arms will seize our arms. A thousand breathes will breath into our faces. Like one single pair of eyes, a thousand eyes will stare at us" (pg 12): This shows the enormity of the forces working against Antigone and Isemene. It also shows that Isemene thinks that there is no way to work against Creon, for he has the power to call these odds against the pair of sisters.
• Stereotype: "It's all very well for men to believe in ideas and die for them. But you are a girl!" (pg 13): This is the stereotype of how men can go and do whatever they want while women stay in the background in the same place forever. It also tells of social status issues. A man can fail at something and still work to get his reputation back. If a woman were to lose her reputation, Isemene thinks that the woman would have a hard time getting it back.
• Foreshadowing: " Antigone: I'll tell you everything. [...] Haemon: We'll have other evenings my sweet. Antigone: Perhaps we won't" (pg 16): This foreshadows Antigone's death, even though the audience already knows. It tells also of how resolved Antigone is, for she is facing the destiny to die head on, instead of faltering. She tries to make preparation for her death