The Downfall
Today you have a choice of two questions to answer. One is related to dear, old Oedipus (is that proper comma usage?), and the other is related to the short story, "The Lottery."
For Oedipus, consider this quotation by Paul Roche, who translated a version of Oedipus Rex (not ours):
"In Aristotle's famous definition of a tragedy, he had in mind Sophocles' Oedipus as the perfect specimen. ... A person of upright character but dogged by a certain flaw heads for his downfall. The flaw is the lever for his destruction, but the irony is that it does its work, trips him up, through his finest qualitities: in Oedipus, his honesty and courage.
"The downfall of the House of Oedipus was foretold by the gods before Oedipus was born, but it was foretold because it was going to happen; it was not going to happen because it was foretold, and it was going to happen because Oedipus being what he was, made it happen."
Do you agree or disagree with that statement? Support your answer. (I wish we had noted his perspective -- Oedipus as honest and courageous rather than Oedipus the prideful, temper-driven, bi-polar man...)
OR, if you don't care for that choice, then attempt this one: In "The Lottery," the characters of the town yearly perform the stoning of one individual because it has gone on for as long as they can remember. It is a tradition. Why? They don't know. They don't know why it started or why it continues, and yet they violently kill one of their loved ones each year. Certainly, the author was making a statement in her writing, and it should make you think, as well: "What 'traditions' in our society (or family or church or school or nation or world) are completed without any thought as to their purpose or value?" Support your answer. [If you simply can't think of a thing for either, then let me give you this out: If YOU were part of that society in Shirley Jackson's story, what would you do? Would you make a stand? Would you be so relieved that you didn't get the black dot that you would toss stones? What difference would you make?]
We discussed both of these issues in class this week, and you should have a good idea for one or the other.
You know the drill!
Love,
Mrs. D
posted by Sister Sara @ 4:13 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Wow! I have an answer to all the questions... but I'll just tag them and really answer one I guess. For the first question, I believe Oedipus did have some great qualities. And like Roche said, he had one major flaw which triggered many problems. His major flaw was pride. Anything he did which supported the oracle was a result of pride... besides marrying his mom. he just did that probrably because she was the queen already so he just took the place of the former king and married the queen... who happened to be his parents. EWW!
As far as The Lottery" is considered, I think I would not do anything in that situation... regretably. Like the others said, I wouldn't just stone people willfully... actually I don't think I'd stone anyone period, but I don't think I would have spoken against it unless it were my family who got picked. I guess I'd think that I was too small (i.e. I'm only one person and don't have a large effect on things) to make an impact on things. I don't think I would take part in it though. Like Halloween. My family has never taken part or celebrated it so I don't celebrate it. But I'm not about to go off on this huge ordeal about how it's wrong. Not that the act of getting candy is wrong, but the spiritual world is deffinately abuzz during that night. But yeah, I would have been to scared to speek out against the lottery in that time.
Graded.
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