Thursday, December 19, 2019

Sophocles Oedipus The King - 1387 Words

As I stated in a previous essay, Oedipus The King is a play by Sophocles which belongs to the genre of tragedy and focuses on a man named Oedipus, king of a place called Thebes, and his efforts to put an end to a plague that has devastated the city. He believes that in order to put an end to the plague, he must find the man that murdered the previous king of Thebes; a man by the name of Laius (Sophocles pg.8-10). Prophecy plays an important role in this play and as Oedipus’ investigation progresses, he ends up finding out a lot of things about himself and his origins resulting in conflict between the characters and Oedipus himself. In the play there is a reference to an old prophecy that, according to Oedipus, stated: â€Å"I was fated to have†¦show more content†¦It generally refers to the idea that we are â€Å"powerless to do anything other than what we actually do†. (The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) This also includes the belief that a man has no p ower to influence his own future. Fatalism also refers to an attitude of resignation in the face of some future event or events which are thought to be inevitable. (The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Fatalism and Determinism share common ground but they do have slight differences. Determinists believe that a persons actions affect the future but that their action is itself determined by a causal series of previous events. Their view does not mention a resignation to fate or destiny, compared to fatalists who chose to accept the future of events as an inevitability. Determinists believe the future is fixed specifically due to the phenomena of causality; fatalists believe that some or all aspects of the future are set in stone and cannot be changed, not necessarily due to causality, but due to the existence of a someone or something that has already predetermined the outcome of events. (The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) In his book, The Moral Landscape, neuroscientist Sam Harris argues against free will. He offers one thought experiment where a scientist uses a machine to control all the desires and behavior of a person. In these conditions, it is safe to say the victim has no free. Harris establishes that if the machine controls desires at random then nothing changesShow MoreRelatedOedipus The King By Sophocles848 Words   |  4 PagesOedipus the King, written by Sophocles, follows the tragic story of a king named Oedipus who goes from an all-powerful ruler to a hopeless blind peasant. Oedipus the King was written as a play and performed in front of an audience. Sophocles shows in Oedipus the King that one cannot escape the fate of the gods. Throughout the play Oedipus struggles to find a solution and change all the troubles in his life. The play observes the story of Oedipus who defies the gods and through the journey experiencesRead MoreSophocles Oedipus The King884 Words   |  4 PagesKing of Thebes, owner of a family tree that identically r esembles Medusa on a bad hair day, and the inspiration for a psychologically-riveting complex, Oedipus, tragic hero of Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, exposes troubling truths about the human condition and, acting as an exemplary precaution for the entirety of humanity, demonstrates how a self-destructive struggle between love, anger, and fate, conveyed through an unorthodox love affair between mother and son (Who gets custody in a divorce?),Read MoreSophocles Oedipus The King1714 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"ideal tragedy† is the play â€Å"Oedipus the King† written by Sophocles. In this play, Sophocles utilizes the concept of tragedy as well the theory of the importance of scenes of recognition and reversal to create a setting, tone, and mood throughout the play. Oedipus, the mythical king of Thebes, goes through a horrendous tragedy which includes moments of recognition and reversal. These moments are key to the fame and appreciation for the play, â€Å"Oedipus the King†. Sophocles’ use of Aristotle’s conceptsRead MoreOedipus The King By Sophocles950 Words   |  4 PagesThe people throughout Oedipus’ life trues very hard to allow him to escape his fate of killing his father and then marrying his mother. In the epic poem Oedipus the King, Sophocles tells the story of the tragic downfall of Oedipus. Although many people see the role of free will that brought upon Oedipus’ doom, no matter what choices were made throughout his life, his ultimate fate would always return. The choices made at the beginning of Oedipus’ life set him up to fulfill his prophecy. His parentsRead MoreSophocles Oedipus The King992 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout tragedies in Greek literature, the hero always has one tragic flaw. In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Oedipus’ main flaw is his overactive hubris, which in turn clouds his overall judgment. This is evident in the Chorus’ first ode to the city of Thebes as they try to ask the Gods for the banishment of the plague. Their answer does not come from a deity, but from Oedipus himself as he enters the palace and says, â€Å"You have prayed; and you prayers shall be answered with help and release ifRead MoreOedipus the King by Sophocles1393 Words   |  6 Pages Sophocles’ play, Oedipus the King, has risen many questions concerning the main character and whether or not he acts on free will or if his future is predestined by the gods. I am going to test the theory that although Oedipus believes he is acting on his own free will, he is in fact a victim of the gods. I will analyze several different sources that discuss fate and human agency in Oedipus the King and then proceed to build my original argument on the archaic debate. There has been a great dealRead MoreOedipus The King By Sophocles904 Words   |  4 Pages In Sophocles play â€Å"Oedipus the King† a deadly plague has descended upon the kingdom of Thebes, and because of this plague a dark and iniquitous secret begins to unravel itself only to reveal a web of events connecting Oedipus and others as the culprits behind all the havoc ensued. No one is the sole source responsible for the unfortunate events that befall Thebes, as well as the royal family; In fact, those who unknowingly paved the path of destruction were themselves trying to prevent it fromRead MoreSophocles Oedipus The King Essay1960 Words   |  8 Pages This would have been excellent advice for the main character in Sophocles drama, Oedipus the King. However, the drama was written as a result of Sophocles life and the influence of the humanistic culture in which he lived. Throughout Sophocles life, he gained military knowledge as the son of a wealthy armor manufacturer and received an excellent Greek education with emphasis on Homeric poetry (textbook). Furthe rmore, Sophocles was very involved in politics and served as a treasurer, a generalRead MoreSophocles Oedipus The King871 Words   |  4 PagesThe plays written by Sophocles, â€Å"Oedipus the King â€Å"and â€Å"Antigone† are bodies of work displayed the meaning of what Aristotle defined as a tragedy. â€Å"Oedipus the King† is a story of a king trying to avoid the fate of his life that has been prophesized before his birth. In â€Å"Antigone† is story of a girl who devoted to her family, and regardless of the orders made the king Creon. In these stories the archetypes and hamartia of Antigone and Oedipus play a major role in the story. In â€Å"Antigone† the characterRead MoreOedipus The King, By Sophocles1407 Words   |  6 PagesWhen we think about a tragic play or protagonist, most people would think Shakespeare for his common theme of his plays to end with a tragedy. In Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, tells the tale of the protagonist Oedipus. Throughout the play, Oedipus searched for his past to discover the reason why his kingdom is plagued with wilting crops and illnesses. In the end, he becomes a tragic protagonist after discovering his past was related to the previous king’s death. While the search progressed

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Justice For All Essay Example For Students

Justice For All? Essay Over the last thirty years, minorities have been given a better chance to succeed in America by way of Affirmative Action. Recently, there has been a surge of non-minority Americans claiming reverse racism. Affirmative Action is now being called preferential treatment. In the beginning, it was designed to help minorities have a more equal opportunity in the world. A group of non-minority Americans in California claimed that they were being denied admittance to universities in the admitting process. This led to Ward Connerly, a member of University of California Regents, promoting the anti Affirmative Action message (NLSPAC, 1). Proposition 209 bans both discrimination and preferential treatment to various minorities on the basis of race, creed, sex, or place of origin (NLSPAC, 1). Connerly does not clearly structure his mode of thought. His understanding of reality is not real pertaining to minorities. The social context of Affirmative Action is its origin in the Civil Rights Movement. It was designed to give minorities and women special consideration for contracts, employment, and education (Froomkin, 2). Connerly is not a woman and he does not acknowledge the fact that he is African American, a minority. Connerly owns a consulting firm and only divulges his race when necessary, I felt that it could be damaging to my business to be identified as a minority firm, he says (Pooley, 4). Connerly does not understand or cannot relate to other minorities about the struggles that minoritys face getting into corporate America. Since Connerly has already received his degree, owns his own business, and does not reveal his race for contracts, he does not understand what minorities who do not have these things go through. Therefore, his mode of thought is completely obscu red and distorted. I consider Connerlys group to be minorities. However, he cannot relate to his group because he does not speak the same language as his group. By language, I mean social attitude. Most minorities try to accept all of the help they can get. For instance, the government will defer a companys capital gains taxes indefinitely if that company sells a cable system to a partnership controlled by a minority (Birnbaum, 1). There have been other programs like this one where minorities benefited. This too will end if Affirmative Action is ended. Connerly does not understand that minorities still need special privileges to be as successful as non-minorities. He does not realize how much minorities stand to lose.. The meanings or opinions of a situation depend on which group you belong to in society. There are two different opinions to the same situation. One is held by minorities and the other by non-minorities. Connerly associates himself with the non-minorities. Connerlys inherited situation changed twice during his childhood. When he was four, his mother died and he was taken in by his middle class uncle and aunt (Pooley, 3). At age twelve, he went to live with his grandmother who was in the lower class bracket. It was during this time that Connerlys work ethic and also hate of his race began (Pooley, 3). He worked to help his grandmother and resented the fact he went to a lower income household. Connerly could not further his ways of knowing in his inherited situation because he disassociated himself from others in his race. This is due to struggles that he faced. Connerlys struggle with nature is one of his biggest problems. It is a natural fact that he was born a black male in the late 1930s in a lower class family. Civil Rights had not been established and he was considered an inferior citizen. Connerly wishes he could live in a colorblind society. Therefore, he could not be classified by something he wishes he were not. .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4 , .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4 .postImageUrl , .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4 , .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4:hover , .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4:visited , .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4:active { border:0!important; } .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4:active , .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4 .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u2766c60bd0dc4d631fd4e8277225b2a4:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Enternal nutrition in icu EssayThe struggle of an individual with another individual happens on a daily basis. Minorities and non-minorities compete for contracts, educational, and employment opportunities on a daily basis. This causes major conflict between people. Critics of Affirmative Action claim that schools rely too heavily on racial double standards (Gwynne, 2). Now that Affirmative Action is helping minorities, non-minorities are feeling the same effects of not getting jobs and contracts that they had been getting previously. The playing field is more equal and non-minorities

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

The Importance of the English Language Essay Example

The Importance of the English Language Essay Brazer Bozlak 03113623 2011-07-20 LA 202 – OL8 The importance of the English language The English language is finally accepted as the universal language of the world and stands today as the common means of communication among members of different countries, cultures and communities. Moreover, English is also the international language of diplomacy, business, science, technology, banking, computing, medicines, engineering, tourism etc. It is understood and spoken almost everywhere in the world and it has become the key instrument of globalization. The English language is the common global language and it is very clear in many cultures that English has become more dominant around the world, a dominance that is growing for each passing day. As a result, English is widely taught around the world as a second language today, the amount of native English speakers might not be large when compared to Spanish or Chinese, but it is the common communication language spoken around the world and almost every single university in the world are conducting scientific studies trough English medium. Although, there is a lot of people around the world today that won’t admit how important English for the world I’m one of those many that understands the importance of the English language. Most people in the world agrees with what Alexander v. Sandoval claims in his essay â€Å"The importance of English† on www. eagleforum. com , â€Å"English is becoming the worlds language of the 21st century † he says and gets supported â€Å"Most of the worlds population, about 70% speak English or know him. And more than 80% of all stored information in the world is written in English or translated into it. We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of the English Language specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of the English Language specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of the English Language specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Foreign language skills, and in particular the English are a good tool in work, school, on vacation, when building a career or promote your own business. The man who speaks fluent in English, will not get lost anywhere in the world where there are people. † (billionmindsfoundation). There are facts about English which would encourage people to learn English, †There are more people in China learning English than speaking it in North America over 200 million. English is the official language of a third of the worlds population and a working language for half the worlds population. Of the worlds four most numerous languages, Chinese, Hindi, Arabic and English, the latter owes its position uniquely to its use as a second language. A part of this pattern is the increasing reach of English in continental Europe where 91% of all secondary schools teach English and 65% of young continental Europeans claim to speak English reasonably well. † (English, The working language of the global village) English used to be a relatively unimportant language around 450 AD, when a set of Germanic tribes (mostly the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes) moved from their homelands in what is now northern Germany to what is now England. Old English was widely spoken on the island in the centuries that followed, lost status when the French-speaking Normans conquered England, and slowly regained status in the late Middle English period. At this point, still, English was just one of many languages. It was generally less respected than Latin or french among scientists and theologians, for example. It was not until the period of Early Modern English, a period also known as the Age of Discovery that English really began  to gain status. The new country England began to establish colonies around the world and exported its language and governing systems so that it could import what it wanted, e. g. spices and rare woods and also for a while, slaves. The Early Modern English period witnessed the first time that English was spoken around the world, but still it was not nearly as widely spoken as it is today. Englands and Americas triumph in the World War 2 tok the globalization of English one step further and the languages importance for the world has grown for each passing day since then. Being the second language choice for non English speaking people today all around the world is a evidence of how important it is for people to learn English. It is the language people speaks when they don’t know the language of the country they are in and even countries such Frenca and Germany have given up. Alexander v. Sandoval says in his essay â€Å"The importance of English† published on Eagleforum. com â€Å"In multilingual continental Europe, a fierce battle over language popularity appers to be ending with English as the standard for the 21st century. and â€Å"The Germans have given up trying to persuade more Brits to learn their language and, instead, are now promoting English as the language of the 21st century, with lessons for children as young as six. Germanys leading newspaper produces an eight-page English edition and declares that English is going to be the lingua franca of the next century. †. Even though it does not and will probably never hav e an official status, English is the accepted universal language on the Internet. English is typically the language of the latest-version applications and programs. Even though progresses has been made in language translation online it is very difficult if not almost impossible to properly translate each and every webpage or program into a specific language. Even manuals, installation guides and products sheets of electronic and entertainment devices are usually first available in English. With this information in mind along with that Internet is becoming very important in our daily life’s, in commerce and also in education makes the English language bounded to grow. Thus the importance of the English language is underlined. English is today the standard language for businesses and industry, knowing English can be the key that unlocks enormous amounts of job opportunities. Many companies aim to become as successful as possible in their industry, which leads them to start working internationally and this makes the employers require superb English communication skills of the employees in order to deal with suppliers or contacts all across the world. Knowing English is not a guarantee to have a well paying position in the future but it is definitely a really good help on the way. The growth of English has been huge since the World War 2 and it might not take long time before English will be a single language of the world like the single currency and the union of various nations. It is, after all, spoken by more than 300 million natives speakers, between 600 and 800 million foreign speakers. It is the common language of air transportation and shipping, science, technology, computers, and commerce, and a major language in education and publishing. For these reasons, good English communication skills is important in order get on board on the 21st centuries train. Works Cited: v. Sandoval, Alexander. The importance of our English Language Eagleforum. 1 May 2001. Web 20 July 2011. (http://www. eagleforum. org/psr/2001/may01/psrmay01. shtml) General. English: Universal Language Billion Minds Foundation. 12 July 2001. Web 20 July 2011. (http://www. billionmindsfoundation. org/english-universal-language/) Watson, Alan. English: The working language of the global village? Lord Alan Watson. 2010. Web 20 July 2011. (http://www. lordalanwatson. com/english2. htm)