Use Of Irony In Oedipus Rex Essays - Operas, Oedipus The King

Use of Irony in Oedipus Rex Many sources tell us that Sophocles wrote more then one hundred plays, but only seven of them have survived the centuries in their entirety. Certainly the best known of his surviving plays is Oedipus Rex. The plot of the play hinges on the element of irony. Irony can be defined as a combination of circumstances or a result that is the opposite of what is or might be expected or considered appropriate, (Guralnik, Webster's, 1968, p. 745). Irony is one of the prevailing and defining characteristics of the play. The first event that sets the whole tragic tale in motion is when Laius, King of Thebes, is told by a prophet that any child that is born to him and his queen, Jocasta, will murder him. Therefore, when a child is born to him, he pierces the baby's ankles with a spike, ties them together, and has a servant leave the child on Mount Cithaeron to die from exposure. This is ironic because if Laius had not attempted to murder his own child, Oedipus would not have been found and raised by strangers. He would have known Jocasta was his mother. Ironically(and disgustingly, Oedipus marries her and produces several children). Also, without his violent temper, he would not have killed his father on the road to the Oracle if had had been aware of his identity. As a baby, Oedipus is found by a shepherd, and taken back to Corinth where he is raised as the son of King Polybus, and his queen, Merope. After he is grown, Oedipus is told by a drunken man at a banquet that he really isn't the son of Polybus. Confused, Oedipus is determined to learn the truth. H visionary oracle. The horrified woman sends him away saying that he will murder his father and marry his mother. The prophecy disturbs Oedipus so much that he doesn't return in the hopes of preventing the prophecy from coming true. But, in so doing, he defied the will of the gods, and sealed his fate. This is, of course, ironic because Oedipus is taking the action of not returning to Corinth because he wrongfully considers Polybus and Merope to be his parents. But, here again, a human is trying to avoid what is clearly predestined. In committing the sin of hubris(pride), Oedipus brings down upon himself the rightful condemnation of the higher power. Previous to meeting with the Oracle, Oedipus had met King Laius, and four attendants, at a fork in the road. A fight started, and Oedipus kills King Laius, totally unaware that this is his real father. It's ironic on several many levels. Oedipus, in trying to avoid the prophecy, has fulfilled it. This is also ironic because Laius would not have left Thebes and journey to the Oracle if the city had not been plagued by the Sphinx, a monster with a woman's head and a lion's body, plus miscellaneous other animal features. The city would, undoubtedly, have not been plagued if Laius had stayed in the god's good graces. Having unknowingly killed his father, Oedipus journeys on and encounters the Sphinx. Because he answers the Sphinx's riddle correctly, it kills itself in a fit of anguish and the city is saved. Oedipus is declared King of Thebes. He marries the recently widowed Jocasta and the prophecy is fulfilled. "Oedipus Rex" seems to roll one pieve of irony after another.. Everything Oedipus tries to avoid he ends up doing. The beautiful marriage between the King and Queen is incest. He is also famous for solving riddles but cannot solve the one that concerns the origin, path, and destiny of his own life. Oedipus shows a brutal side when he beats the same shepard that saved him during the interrogation. Some readers interpret the irony differently. Ever since the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, made his famous observations, critics have been using this aspect in this analysis. The Freudian interpretation can be taken beyond the obvious relationship between Oedipus and Jocasta and extended to Oedipus' two daughters. Oedipus and Jocasta had four children-two sons and two daughters. The children are brought in at the very end of the play when a blind Oedipus is pondering their fate. The sons he dismisses because they are able to take care of themselves, but Oedipus frets over the fate of his daughters. Oedipus- "As for my sons, you need not take care of them.They are men, they will find some way to live. But my poor daughters, who have shared my table, Who have never before have been parted from their father-Take care of them, Creon: Do this for me. And will you let me touch them

Word Choice Role vs. Roll

Word Choice Role vs. Roll Word Choice: Role vs. Roll Some words, such as â€Å"roll,† have more definitions than is strictly decent. And since it sounds identical to the word â€Å"role,† it is easy to get these terms mixed up. But if you check out our guide to using â€Å"role† and â€Å"roll† correctly, you can be confident your written work will be spelling error free. Role (A Position or Part) We’ll begin with â€Å"role,† since this term has fewer meanings. Its main use is to indicate a position within an organization or system. In particular, being in a specific â€Å"role† usually implies having a purpose or duty: My role as a proofreader is to check texts for errors. Proofreading plays an important role in the publishing industry. The other key use of â€Å"role† is to mean â€Å"part for an actor†: I auditioned for the lead role in the play. One thing to note here is that â€Å"role† is always a noun, never a verb. The Many Meanings of â€Å"Roll† â€Å"Roll† has several uses as a verb and a noun. As a verb, these include: Turn over to face a different direction (e.g., I rolled onto my back) Move via turning (e.g., The car rolled down the hill) Turn something into a ball or tube (e.g., She rolled the clay in her hands) Make something smooth and flat (e.g., Roll out the pastry) Make a continuous, repeated sound (e.g., The thunder rolled loudly) And as a noun, we can use â€Å"roll† to refer to the following: The act of rolling (e.g., I will do a forward roll) Something that has been rolled into a tube (e.g., A roll of carpet) An official list of names (e.g., An electoral roll) A continuous, repeated sound (e.g., A drum roll) A small bread product (e.g., A bread roll) This isn’t even a full list of the uses of â€Å"roll.† For example, a tear can â€Å"roll† down your cheek, and a ship might â€Å"roll† from side to side in rough seas. However, we have covered the main uses of â€Å"roll† above. And the main thing to take away from this is that â€Å"roll† has many definitions! Summary: Role or Roll? The key here is remembering what â€Å"role† means, as this term has fewer uses: The noun role means â€Å"position in a system† or â€Å"part for an actor.† Roll can be either a noun or a verb . Its meanings include turning over, making a low rumbling sound, a list of names, and a small bread product. In essence, then, if you’re referring to a position or part in something, the correct spelling will be â€Å"role.† In any other situation, â€Å"roll† will be correct. But if you want to make doubly sure that your writing is free from errors, you can always have it proofread by our expert editors.

Debate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Debate - Essay Example In most cases, restitution can happen by restoring liberty, social status, employment, family life, and legal rights of the people (van Boven). Aside from offering rehabilitation programs, there are also cases wherein reparation can happen by extending monetary compesation to the affected people (van Boven; Goldberg). In the United States, a lot of Black farmers have suffered from the psychological, social, and economic consequences of racial discrimination. Today, the administration of Obama is using monetary compensation as a means of settlement for mistreatment that most of the American Indians and Black farmers living in Arizona, the New Mexico, and Montana who have encountered under the administration of the previous U.S. presidents (Baker). Personally, I am against the Native Americans’ reparations. First of all, the U.S. economy is still in the midst of economic uncertainty. By extending $4.5 billion in reparations to the American Indians and Black farmers, the U.S. government may have inadequate fund to boost the entire U.S. economy. As of October 2012, the unemployment rate in the U.S. is 7.9% (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). In the absence of sufficient monetary stimulus, the unemployement rate in the U.S. will remain high. van Boven, Theo. â€Å"Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law, adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution†. United Nations. 2008. Web. 16 November 2012