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compare and contrast odysseus and telemachus journey
comparison of odysseus and telemachus
the relationship of telemachus and odysseus
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Williams opens his chapter “Recognizing Responsibility” with two short Homeric excerpts, which he continues to reference throughout the chapter. Through these passages, he explores the idea of “intention” and its implications. The first instance is from the Odyssey. In this example, Williams details a scene in which Telemachus unintentionally leaves the door to the storeroom open. This allows the suitors to take weapons from the room. Here we see an example of an “everyday mistake”; Telemachus simply overlooked the door much like how we may overlook something in our lives. Importantly, Telemachus states that “he and no one else was aitios”—he was the cause and he is to blame (52). Williams uses this example as a foil to Agamemmon.
Agamemmon establishes himself as the opposite of aitios. When he committed his crime, he was acting under “delusion” or “blind madness,” and therefore, in some magical or altered state, opposed to the ordinary state of Telemachus. A further difference is that Agamemmon committed the act intentionally. Williams uses these two examples to point out that while the intention and causality of the two circumstances are different, they are similar in the way that they both must assume responsibility. It is by “virtue of what he did” that necessitates reparation for the two characters (53). By pitting the stories together, Williams formulates the four basic elements of any conception of responsibility:
i) Cause: “that in virtue of what he did, someone has brought about a bad state of affairs”
ii) Intention: “that he did or did not intend that state of affairs”
iii) State: “that he was or was not in a normal state of mind when he brought it about”
iv) Response: “that it is his business, if an...
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...s bases his arguments on poetical examples. It seems that he genuinely feels that there is cognitive value in the arts.
I do agree with most of this piece (so far). The one part that struck me, however, as threadbare was Williams’ choice to not talk about love and guilt. Williams makes a point to say that guilt is the fear of eliciting “anger, resentment, or indignation” (89). This makes it seems as if guilt is a very superficial occurrence. I would like to argue, though, that there is a sense of guilt that comes from the fear that we may lose the love from someone we care about. This doesn’t make it any less superficial, but it is a necessary component. Also, I wonder how pity plays into our lives today. We can see examples of it in art, such as Sophie’s Choice, but is it the same as it was for the Greeks? I feel as if it is, perhaps, a little different.
The choices we make define the destiny of our lives. Since the beginning of time, man has always been an imperfect being full of flaws. Man is faced with different situations that can end up bringing disgrace to himself and his family if the situations are not well handled. In the texts Book II of the Aeneid by Virgil, Antigone by Sophocles, Oedipus the king by Sophocles, and Book XXII from the Iliad by Homer; Creon, the Trojan people, Hector, Achilles, and Oedipus embody what can lead to a man’s downfall through their own choices. Through these texts we are able to learn from the mistakes people made in the past and lead good moral lives. The texts illustrate how pride, lack of empathy, and ignorance lead to the destruction of man.
a.) “When I was really drunk, I started that stupid business with the bullet in my guts” (150)
did is wrong and he should pay the price for what he did. C. The allusion that
There are several cases in which we, being the humans that we are, do unintelligent things. This central theme has been used throughout the ages in literature, poetry and theatre. In Socrates' Oedipus, he shows that even people in high positions, like King's, are unable to realize the information in front of them. In most Greek tragedies, characters have what is called a hubris which is pride or humans believing that they are more powerful than the Gods or people ordained by gods to be messengers. In the case of Oedipus, his hubris was also his hamartia or tragic mistake which makes him the tragic hero of the play. His hubris caused several reactions that effected the people around him including: effecting his country through the plague, effecting parents through fulfilling the profecy, and effecting his own life and his eventual downfall by making himself blind.
Moreover, Oedipus commits the sinful acts of parricide and incest in ignorance which further buys sympathy for him by mitigating his responsibility in the errors committed by him. Thus, Sophocles shows that Oedipus is not only admirable but also innocent; his pride is presented as an intellectual rather than a moral shortcoming leading to Oedipus' moral innocence winning not just the sympathy but also the hearts of the audience.
The theme of guilt, as perceived by readers and felt by the characters is demonstrated by both Davies and Shakespeare. This emotion of guilt, affects a person like a drop of acid that corrodes anything it meets. Through these two texts, the authors suggest to the readers that this emotion is part of life, and that there is no way one can eradicate it. Although, there lies some negative effects, it always benefits one after admitting to or paying for mistakes, as seen in both of the texts.
The journey of Odysseus is full of situations in which a god’s intervention is harmful or beneficial and caused by the fault of a human or the impulse of a god. Zeus’s argument is incomplete, as he removes all blame from the gods and places them on humans. These situations prove that a human’s fate lies in the responsibility of both men and gods, with both creating misfortune and providence.
Ian McEwan illustrates a profound theme that builds details throughout the novel Atonement, the use of guilt and the quest for atonement are used with in the novel to convey the central dynamic aspect in the novel. McEwan constructs the emotion of guilt that is explored through the main character, Briony Tallis. The transition of child and entering the adult world, focus on the behavior and motivation of the young narrator Briony. Briony writes passages that entail her attempt to wash away her guilt as well find forgiveness for her sins. In which Briony ruined the lives and the happiness of her sister, Cecilia, and her lover Robbie. The reality of the events, attempts to achieve forgiveness for her actions. She is unable to understand the consequences of the actions as a child but grows to develop the understanding of the consequence with age. McEwan exemplifies an emotional novel that alters reality as he amplifies the creative acts of literature. In this essay I will be arguing that, the power of guilt prevents people from moving on from obstacles that hold them in the past.
Human will versus fate, the nature of innocence and guilt, and the quest for identity are all themes that Sophocles exquisitely incorporates in his play, Oedipus Rex. Human will is in everyone, but when a stronger force is present, one’s fate comes from a source larger than life. Innocence may be prominent in everyone, but guilt only comes to those seeking a punishment for what wrongful thing they do. Even if a person is found guilty of an innocent act, that person’s identity makes him/her who he/she really is. One’s fate determines one’s innocence, which determines one’s guilt through a voyage of finding one’s identity.
Famous Greek playwright, Sophocles, in his unmistakable play, Oedipus the King, tells the tragic story of Oedipus, its eponymous protagonist, and his eventual downfall. Sophocles presents a story in startling fashion -- one which directly addresses a quintessential component of Greek literature: fate. His purpose in doing so is to show the ramifications of excessive pride (also known as hubris) and the dramatic way in which fate is carried out as a result of hubris thereof. He formulates a fatalistic and uneasy tone throughout the story in order to convince the reader of Oedipus' futility in trying to avoid his fate. Fate is irrevocably vital to the overall infrastructure of Greek literature, especially within Oedipus the King, as the gods
Accountability is a subject that ranges through every spectrum of life. From simply knowing your food supply by opening the refrigerator, to knowing the exact amount of ammunition a military convoy has at its disposal, down to each individual round. When we know what the situation is, and hold each person responsible for they're actions in the situation, that is the concept of accountability at its root. If we are not to hold each other responsible for each of our own actions and choices then we will never be able to correct problems and concerns, which will make us fail as a whole because the smallest individual action can account for the gravest of concequences. In this essay I'm going to show how important accountability is in the everyday life of a United States Marine. I will do this by presenting the textbook definition of accountability then dissecting it and defining it in my own words. I will then show you how the military practices accountability with everything it does; by applying a system that is similiar to that of checks and balances. I will tie into this the Incident that occurd in 29 Palms, CA on August 31, 1988, where the failure to have accountability of all the marines on Base ultimately resulted in the negligent death of one Marine, and the ruined careers of those who were in charge of him. Lastly I will go down to the basic level of the Marine Corps: the life of the individual Marine and how he can, and naturally does to a point, apply accountability to his every action, be it on or off duty.
When analyzing “Oedipus Rex”, the concept of Fate vs. Free-will is incredibly prevalent. Even though free-will could potentially have contributed to the outcomes of the situations presented in the story, Sophocles wrote “Oedipus Rex” as commentary to the Greeks' lack of regard for the fate bestowed upon them by the gods. This is exhibited throughout the play in many cases, most notably when Teiresias, the blind, noble prophet, and speaker of the truth is condescended upon simply because Oedipus is unhappy with the repulsive events to which he has been made aware of, Oedipus's constant need for justification as to why the oracles are false and correlational occurrences are mere coincidence, and Jocasta and Oedipus’ blatant ignorance of the oracles and the evidence of the prophecies being accomplished ultimately ruined them.
Throughout Greek mythology and tragedy, there is a strong overall theme of honor and hubris. This appears both to be a virtue and a type of human weakness. Hubris is defined as excessive pride toward or defiance of the gods, leading to nemesis. It is widespread among the gods and high-ranking mortals in Greek society. Characters are presented with the option to follow their own will, keep their honor intact and face the consequences, or listen to the gods and higher powers, give up their dignity and honor in hopes of a greater outcome for their life. In the text, we can observe both approaches and how the outcomes varied. Specifically in the text of Hippolytus, characters attempt to overcome obstacles and dilemmas with solutions of hubris and morals or taking heed of advice given by higher powers; however, these solutions do not always resolve the problem and the mortals fate is often unavoidable due to the strong influence of the gods.
In the Greek tragedy, The Oresteia, justice, revenge, and forgiveness unfold throughout Agamemnon, Libation Bearers, and Eudmenides. The use of justice, revenge, and forgiveness developed throughout the play seems to portray human nature, human endeavor and morality. As well, whether or not the quest for revenge and the concept of justice is disentangled, comes into question for the chorus and the characters. In the first play of the trilogy, Agamemnon, it is aware overall in the literal and figurative themes depicted in the context that the central concept is justice, or other words justice as revenge. For example, we find a clear notion of justice from the murders of Agamemnon and Cassandra, as well as Cassandra’s prophesy believing Clytemnestra
Explained by Aristotle, the characteristics of a good tragic hero must be “better than we are,” a man who is superior to the average man in some way. A man one might say closely resembles Oedipus Rex. But Oedipus is more imperfect than perfect, as he commits his actions in haste and is unable to see what is happening around him. His hamartia was the main reason for his downfall. In the play Oedipus Rex, Oedipus demonstrates his errors in judgement through his hubris, blindness, and foolishness and therefore is at fault. Oedipus’s great hubris led him to a path where he couldn’t come back from. His blindness and ignorance to the truth caused Oedipus to take actions that he thought would aid him escape the prophecy told by the oracle. His actions justify the line of events that occur in the play.