The Tragic Song Part 2

This week, I have been continuing on the same concept: learning about tragedy and how to apply it to a song. While the reading articles built on the same ideas about tragedy, actually listening to some tragic music gave me a better idea. I listened to Bach's Air on a G-String, which is widely considered to be a tragic piece. It has lots of tension that is the soundtrack to a character in distress and a couple moments of lighter fare. These help to show the contrast between good and bad that is ever present in tragedy. The tension then comes back, and then keeps building up until the final note, or resolution. This is the one note you keep waiting for to finish the song. It mimics the catharsis of watching or reading a tragedy.

To Write A Tragic Song

This is my challenge. After reading Oedipus, we will be starting on a project in which we make our own tragedy. The tragedy is a story where good fortune turns sour, and is often a cathartic experience instead just a depressing one. I know tons of sad songs, but it will be very tough to embody the tragic spirit right. In Oedipus, he starts out a king, but ends up having sex with this mother and killing his father. He then gouges out his eyeballs, and it all happens because he tried to change his fate. That's the grand realization of the story. Now it's time make a song that exemplifies an idea like that.

We All Think We're The Tragic Hero

This week, we've been learning about tragedy. Specifically, we've started on "the tragedy": Oedipus Rex. A tragic hero is someone whose life is going fine, then turns tragic. Usually, this is a death, a loss of fortune, or a lost connection with a person. We also talked about and watched parts of modern day tragedies, such as The Mission, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and the Wrestler. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the emotions of the characters because they seem so real. They could be us. The protagonist of the last book I read, named Yossarian, thought he was a tragic hero. He complained about having to put his life on the line and having a failed lifeline. But he really doesn't count as a tragic hero because the story started with him in a bad scenario. His life is seldom good. These are my observations.

When Life Has Ceased

One thing that's been on my mind a lot this week is death. It's not related to what's going on in my life, but it is a big part of my English work. Socrates had a pretty famous death. He died by drinking hemlock, and had no problem with it. He had lived a long life, and had always supported what the government did. He had the chance to escape, but did not want to contradict the principles he held so dearly. He is remembered by the masses for this admirable stance. There is a big contrast between this and the book I've been reading: Catch-22.In this book, Yossarian, the protagonist, is frightened by death, and does everything he can to get away from the place where he faces it. He is an American bomber pilot fighting in Italy as part of World War II. He is required to fly an high amount of missions that keeps on rising. His colleagues are happy-go-lucky, careless, and keep dying off. Whereas Socrates was killed, Yossarian is kept alive by following his principle. He is pessimistic, manic depressive, and labeled crazy, but succeeds in his goal of staying alive. It's a big statement about war. Those who stand by them die by them.