Video+ClipExplicationDoT

media type="custom" key="5586117"media type="custom" key="5439135" Diego R. and Mariam A. Professor Joseph Brunson World Literature 2 05 March Xtranormal Explication Aristotle stated from the website //Quotationspage.com// “All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion, and desire.” According to Aristotle’s definition of tragedy, actions should imitate nature and since nature is in constant flow it follows a pattern of beginning, middle and end. According to Aristotle’s definition of mimesis, nature acts upon the universe in a series of causes and effects so that there is no chance or accidents, therefore everything is necessary. The Xtranormal by Mariam A. and Diego R. shows Aristotle's view of tragedy and mimesis, by representing history’s influence on tragedy, the uses of the laws of probability and necessity, and the imitation of action. First of all, history acts on both mimesis and tragedy by influencing what happens in the present, dealing with particular subjects in the play and showing what has happen. Likewise, Barbara McManus in her outline, found in the website //Cnr.edu// // stated that // “According to Aristotle, tragedy is higher and more philosophical than history because history simply relates what //has// happened while tragedy dramatizes what //may// happen” (McManus).This quote is really important because we can see how history influences tragedy and also mimesis. History shows what has happened, so tragedy uses this as a guide to show what may happen and it does this by imitating action or in other words using mimesis. Moreover, in his //Poetics//, found in the website //Mit.edu,// Aristotle stated “for poetry tends to express the universal, history the particular” (Aristotle). This quote explains how history refers to particular things about characters or the plot. This makes it easier to predict what may happen and also makes it easier to imitate action since history explains specific things about the characters or different parts of the play. Furthermore, the business man’s friend said in the xtranormal by Mariam A. and Diego R. titled //Tragedy// found in the website //wikispaces.com,// “Somebody had already been fired for a similar reason” (Mariam A. and Diego R.). This quote explains that since something happened before, it could happen again in the future. As we can see, history is always going to influence what happens in the future, so tragedy uses this as a guide as well as mimesis to imitate action in a way that follows history. History is a key point in tragedy and mimesis since without it mimesis and tragedy would not be connected to each other and would be dysfunctional since they would not have an essential point. In the other hand the laws of probability and necessity are laws that both mimesis and tragedy follow due to the ideas of determinism, cause and effect and by building the plays following these laws. Furthermore, Barbara McManus summarized what Aristotle said about tragedy in her outline in the website //Cnr.edu,// // by saying // “Tragedy, however, is rooted in the fundamental order of the universe; it creates a cause-and-effect chain that clearly reveals what may happen at any time or place because that is the way the world operates” (McManus). This explains how tragedy follows the “fundamental order of the universe” which is the idea of cause and effect which means that every action has an effect. The two laws deal with cause and effect so tragedy and mimesis have to deal with these two laws to follow cause and effect. Likewise, in his //Poetics// found in the website //Mit.edu,// Aristotle states “For here the poet first constructs the plot on the lines of probability…” (Aristotle). This explains how the poet should set the “backbone” of the play by using probability in other words the law of probability, and since the two laws go hand by hand it also follows the law of necessity. Tragedy has mimesis so you can say that the laws act on both and then they both use them in the plays. Moreover, the cop McClain stated, in the xtranormal by Mariam A and Diego R titled //Mimesis// found in the website //wikispaces.com,// that “It was not a coincidence that he was there, there are no coincidences” (Mariam A. and Diego R.). This explains how the xtranormal relates to Aristotle’s idea of mimesis and tragedy since determinism means that there are no accidents or coincidences. Determinism is an attribute in tragedy and in mimesis according to Aristotle and is also an attribute for the law. The law of probability and necessity is a law that was created not only for tragedy and mimesis, but is laws they have to follow to have a meaning together inside the play. Many students in 10th grade do not like Aristotelian topics at all; they hate them because they think is too hard, and because they think it would not be useful in the future. This might be true, but knowing these topics could help us understand life, nature and the universe better. It can widen our gaze and give us a more complete view of the world that surrounds us, and eventually help us later in life. The Xtranormal by Mariam A. and Diego R. shows Aristotle’s view of tragedy and mimesis by representing history’s influence, the laws of probability and necessity, and the imitation of action. This xtranormal can not only help people understand more about life, nature and the universe, but it can help us appreciate them more and probably make the world a better place to live in by having a better understandment of what surrounds us.
 * In addition to history **the imitation of action is directly related to tragedy and mimesis by showing the plays rather than telling them, by also imitating nature and finally by action being the essence in the play. Moreover, Barbara McManus in the website //Cnr.edu// summarizes what Aristotle says about tragedy when she says, “Aristotle indicates that the medium of tragedy is drama, not narrative and tragedy “shows” rather than “tells” (McManus). McManus's summary explains how action makes tragedy what it is, meaning different from drama. Tragedy has to have action in order to show rather than tell which is when mimesis comes in since is the way tragedy imitates an action. Furthermore, in his //Poetics// // found in the website Mit.edu,// Aristotle** states **“tragedy is an imitation, not of men, but of an action and of life…” (Aristotle). According to Aristotle, life is related to nature so tragedy and mimesis have to imitate action according to nature not men. Mimesis and tragedy have to imitate nature in a way that they follow nature’s actions and happenings. Likewise, business man said in the xtranormal by Mariam A. and Diego R. titled //Tragedy// found in the website //Wikispaces.com,// “So I'm late, and as I was backing up the driveway, someone hits my car. After that whole deal, I find out that the bridge I use to get to work was closed just one minute before I got there and I have to take a whole different route” (Diego R. and Mariam A.). This quote explains how the xtranormal shows action like tragedy should through mimesis. Action is the essence in tragedy and action is mimesis, so action should be shown in every single play no matter what. The imitation of action is what tragedy is based on, and is basically what Mimesis is, so the imitation of action is what makes tragedy special and what gives mimesis a meaning.

Work Cited McManus, Barbara. "Outline of Aristotle's Theory of Tragedy." Web. 05 Mar. 2010. .

Aristotle. "Poetics." //The Internet Classics Archive: 441 Searchable Works of Classical Literature//. Web. 05 Mar. 2010. . // Tragedy //. Dir. Diego Reyes and Mariam Angulo. Perf. Business Man and Business Man's Friend. Web. . // Mimesis //. Dir. Diego Reyes and Mariam Angulo. Perf. Tanner and McClain. Web. .