intangible line between confidence and arrogance. It's like trying to make a peanut butter sandwich: if you spread the peanut butter too thin, you have something not worth having, but if you spread it too thick, you know you will regret it. I value a lot of different things in life, and in my attempts at mastering them I have usually been successful. This success has produced a definite level of confidence in my own abilities, but too often I have suddenly felt the arrogance sticking to the roof of my mouth
Arrogance in Oedipus and Cocteau's Infernal Machine The myth of Oedipus dates back centuries. Overtime a myth changes in many ways as each author or orator presents their own version. The main plot usually remains intact, but authors add their own style to the tragic story. In the case of Sophocles' Oedipus the King and Jean Cocteau's Infernal Machine both authors focus on the arrogant nature of Oedipus. Since this quality ultimately has destructive powers, the relationships Oedipus has with
"Listen to me. You mock my blindness, do you?/ But I say that you, with both your eyes, are blind" (I, 195-196). With these memorable words, the sightless prophet Teiresias all but paints the entire tragic story of Sophocles' Oedipus the King, one of the most prominent pieces of Greek literary heritage. Greeks knew and loved the story of Oedipus from childhood, just as children today cherish the story of Cinderella. In his version of the beloved tale, Sophocles concentrates his attention on the events
The Themes of Arrogance, Greed, and Materialism in The Bet In Anton Chekhov’s “The Bet” two men, one a banker and the other a lawyer, begin the story arguing about whether or not capital punishment is fair. The banker is in favor of capital punishment while the lawyer contends that if offered the chance he’d take life in prison. The banker bets the lawyer two million rubles that he couldn’t survive in prison for fifteen years. The lawyer agrees to remain in the banker’s “prison” for fifteen
The Arrogance of The Lie The Lie, written by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., is a story that stands as a mirror to reflect the ugly image of a condescending faction obsessed with grades and numbers, not actual learning. Even though it took place years ago, the sickening mind frames still exist in some of today’s people. They are namely the “elite group” or middle to upper class families. In the story, Doctor Remenzel is obsessed with Eli having a high standard of excellence, Eli getting special treatment
and Arrogance in Gilgamesh and Genesis The issue of obedience figures prominently in both "The Epic of Gilgamesh" and the book of Genesis in the Bible. These works were produced by very different cultures and traditions (Middle Eastern and Hebraic, respectively) and the characters in each react to authority or advice with very different levels of obedience. Noah is found to be righteous by God and is rewarded with a means to escape the devastation of the flood. Gilgamesh, in his arrogance, thinks
Poetry is the oldest literary genre written in verse. It has the purpose of producing an illusion on the imagination of the reader, it uses different figures of speech and takes different poems forms. An epic is one of this poem forms and it is “an extended narrative poem recounting actions, travels, adventures, and heroic episodes where the action, often in battle, reveals the more-than-human strength of the heroes as they engage in acts of courage” and they embody the set of values of their
out of the clouds and back to earth where things are a mite different. This is one point of the play in which Oedipus is unbelievably close to finally buying into the fact that some power higher than himself could be at work-- and yet his arrogance and pride hinder him from accepting the legitimacy of fate. Oedipus finds the idea that Teiresius could know more than he simply offensive. Teiresius, sensing Oedipus’ hostility toward him, warns the king that when Oedipus berates him that
Lear's realization of his mistakes is more than a downfall. It is a tragedy. Lear is a tragic hero because he has those three qualities. His flaws are his arrogance, his ignorance, and his misjudgments, each contributing to the other. The first flaw in King Lear is his arrogance, which results in the loss of Cordelia and Kent. It is his arrogance in the first scene of the play that causes him to make bad decisions. He expects his favorite, youngest daughter to be the most worthy of his love. His pride
It is clear that Creon's tragic flaw was his pride, arrogance and beliefs of a leader that cause his downfall. His downfall began when he denied the burial of Polyneices and was firm when he condemned Antigone for her objection to his law. Creon represents the laws of the land and the divine ruler of society. He remains loyal in upholding his laws and trying to overpower the laws of the gods, until the end when he realizes that the divine laws are stronger than his own. His regards for the laws of