The Feminism of Bewitched - The Escapist 1960s Sitcom

Sitcom Title: BewitchedYears Aired: 1964–1972Stars: Elizabeth Montgomery, Agnes Moorehead, Dick York, Dick Sargent, David WhiteFeminist Focus? In this household, the woman has power – magical powers. The fanciful 1960s sitcom Bewitched starred Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens, a witch married to a mortal husband. The underlying feminism of Bewitched revealed a â€Å"typical housewife† who is actually more powerful than her husband. Samantha used her witchcraft powers to solve all sorts of problems, despite having promised her husband, Darrin, that she would no longer practice magic. The Perfect Housewife? When Bewitched began airing in 1964, The Feminine Mystique was still a new book. The woman-as-happy-suburban-homemaker was an idea featured prominently on television, despite the dissatisfaction real women felt in that role. The feminism of Bewitched made Samantha the clever, interesting one. The wacky situations were played for laughs, but she repeatedly rescued Darrin or other characters - including herself. At Home, At Work, At Play Dutiful Darrin kissed supportive Samantha goodbye and trotted off to his respected advertising agency job, leaving her in their lovely middle-class home. He was never gone long before some chain of events was set in motion that ended up with Samantha needing to use her powers to end the predicament.   Often the instigator was Samantha’s mother Endora, played by Agnes Moorehead, who famously called Darrin â€Å"Derwood† and never understood what Samantha saw either in him or in normal mortal life. Why, Endora asked, would Samantha suppress her witchcraft when she could enjoy being supernatural, powerful and immortal? Other times, the plot revolved around Darrins work, and Samantha worked her magic to save the day and prevent the latest client from finding out that she was a witch. Neighbors, co-workers and other mortals repeatedly noticed something suspicious resulting from witchcraft, but either Samantha, Endora, or another witch would use magic to remedy the situation. Samantha and Darrin had a young daughter, Tabitha, who was also capable of witchcraft. Power Dynamics and Feminist Sleight of Hand? Bewitched was a simple escapist sitcom, but the idea of glorifying a husband’s efforts to control his beautiful, perky housewife rightfully strikes feminist viewers as offensive and outdated. It is true that Bewitched featured Samantha â€Å"choosing† to be a housewife and do things the â€Å"normal† way, despite the persistent argument from Endora that Samantha deserved better.    However, Bewitched was also clever. Apart from the visual gags when people or objects appeared and disappeared at the twitch of Samantha’s nose, much of the show’s comedy came from its suggestiveness and subtext. The feminism of Bewitched was a fantasy, but also a logical if extreme take on the idea of a husband and wife coming together from different worlds to have a relationship and family. Feminist Behind the Scenes Elizabeth Montgomery was a lifelong supporter of women’s rights in real life. Although viewers may wish that Samantha stood up to Darrin more forcefully and more often, they also know that Samantha was the hero and was basically always right. Bewitched revealed a hint of feminism in 1960s sitcoms; meanwhile, the women’s liberation movement developed in the U.S. throughout the years the show was on the air. Other Portrayals Bewitched is sometimes compared to I Dream of Jeannie, another supernatural sitcom that featured a young, pretty, blonde woman with magic powers. It began in 1965 but never had as much ratings success as Bewitched. Jeannie was more of a male fantasy: Barbara Eden played a genie released from a bottle who obligingly, if humorously, served her master (Larry Hagman). Jeannie’s long-remembered pink and red costume showed her midriff, but TV executives did not approve of showing her navel. Elizabeth Montgomerys conservative-yet-fashionable Samantha arguably offered more personality, wit and charm as Samantha Stephens. Bewitched was turned into a feature film starring Nicole Kidman in 2005. Betty Friedan In 1964, Betty Friedan wrote Television and the Feminine Mystique, about how women were portrayed on television: either as hoping for love or envisioning revenge on their husbands.  Bewitched  countered this stereotype by doing neither. Her mother Endoras criticisms of household work echoed Friedans criticism of the stay-at-home wife.

Erikson and Goffman on American Identity Essay - 1241 Words

When foreigners think of America, they think of McDonald’s, the Statue of Liberty, Hollywood film stars, and the list goes on. In terms of Americans, people associate Texans with cowboy boats, Californians with surfboards, and New Yorkers with a snobbish grin on their face. It is true that all these things represent America in one way or another, but what exactly is American identity? Erikson’s analysis on American identity has drawn attention to four topics: Mom, adolescent, boss, and machine. He links all four topics together by using the myth of John Henry Hero. Goffman, on the other hand, develops dramaturgical analysis to understand human behaviors. He sees men as actors with different roles and these actors have to perform to†¦show more content†¦Second, parents do not satisfy everything the child demands, and the child feels neglected and grows distant from his parents. John Henry left his parents because his parents fed the dogs before they fed him. Thi rd, he left because he was sure that he could take care of himself. John Henry took into his grave believing that â€Å"a man counts only as a man† (Erikson, P. 299). Hence, in another point of view, he abandoned his parents just as Erikson says, â€Å"it was the child who abandoned the mother, because he had been in such a hurry to become independent† (Erikson, P.296). This abandonment also lead to another factor – rejections to intimate feelings. Erikson finds â€Å"not only the sorrow of having been abandoned but also the fear of committing to deep emotions† (Erikson, P.301) in cowboys because there is a mental barrier in knowing that they have abandoned their mothers and have been abandoned by her. Cowboys, thus, are usually rather lonely people. Their job will not let them see their family nor their friends very often. They are the â€Å"man without roots, the motherless man, the womenless man† (Erikson, P.299). The nonsense folk songs offer a funny yet sarcastic view of cowboys’ life – they are not bounded by relationships because they are not allowed to do so. This lifestyle,Show MoreRelatedSocialization And Its Effects On Our Lives1752 Words   |  8 PagesSocialization is â€Å"the process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior and social skills that are essential appropriate to his or her social environment.† Socialization applies to our daily life and it’s the most important process of human society. Without socialization the human would not be able to take part in group life and develop human characteristics. The world wouldn’t never be organized and everyone would have their own ways of doing thingRead MoreSocial Theories and Prostitution2468 Words   |  10 PagesSecondary deviance happens when the person accepts their deviant label. He or she then thinks of themselves as a deviant. Approximately, ten years later; in the 19 60’s the concept was expanded upon yet again by Howard Becker, John Kituse, Erving Goffman, and Kai Erikson. Howard Becker the author of the 1963 book Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance wrote â€Å"deviance is not a quality of the act the person commits, but rather a consequence of the application by others of rules and sanctions to anRead MoreSociological View on Deviance and Drug Use Essay8777 Words   |  36 Pagesexperience as somewhat unpleasant, but as the user imitates peers he/she learns to perceive the effects of marijuana as enjoyable (Becker 1963). Becker (1963) begins his study of marijuana through analysis of the historical context by which American rule creators labeled marijuana use as deviant in the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. The moral entrepreneur in this case is the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, formed as a part of the Treasury Department in 1930 (Becker 1963). The Federal Bureau of Narcotics

Myths And Myths Of The Greek World - 973 Words

A myth is a traditional story, concerning the early history of people or explaining a natural or social phenomenon; they typically involve supernatural being or events (Dictionary.com, 2016). Myths certainly had a simple aesthetic function of entertainment; they were presented through the means of visual and theatrical art (Cartwright. M, 2012). Myths provided advice on how to lead a good life. Some myths were purposely composed to be outrageous and wrong because it taught the people what not to do. Myths, however, were also thought to be a reflection of the Greek’s way of thinking; this was depicted through them portraying their deities as humans, giving them human traits (Vandiver. E, 2000). Myths explained the environment in which humankind lived in and the natural phenomena they witnessed (Vandiver. E, 2000). They were also intricately connected to religion in the Greek world and explained the origin of Gods and where humanity had come from and where humans would go after death (Mark. J, 2012). Myths provided entertainment and also shocked people into behaving. Myths were represented in visual art on sculptures, pottery, and even public buildings and were also prominent in within theatres in plays written by famous playwrights like Sophocles, Euripides and Aeschylus (Cartwright. M, 2000). Some myths deliberately contained characters or Gods with undesirable traits. These myths all contained morals that shocked the Greeks and taught them how to live a good life and whatShow MoreRelatedThe Importance of Greek Mythology1650 Words   |  7 Pagesimportance of Greek mythology Today, the ancient Greek myths still fascinate readers throughout the world. There are thousands of books written about the importance of Greek mythology in the formation of modern-time societies. There are hundreds of movies created about the adventures of Greek heroes. Apparently, the events, creatures, and people described in the ancient Greek myths were not real; however, their mythical nature does not undermine the importance of Greek mythology in defining the world of fantasiesRead MoreGreek Mythology : The Origin Of The Stars And Sky1528 Words   |  7 PagesGreek mythology was very important in many cultures throughout the world and was utilized to clarify the earth and its circumstances in which mankind lived, the normal wonders they identified and how constellations explained the why the movement of the stars and sky were important in the lives of the Greeks. Greek mythology contained information about the livelihood of these gods and goddesses, humankind after death and simply how to live a joyous life. The geography of Greece also shaped Greek mythologyRead MoreCreation Of Society : Ancient Myths Essay1419 Words   |  6 PagesMs. Cha 3/23/15 Creation of Society: Ancient Myths The telling of tales is a tradition old as time. Ancient culture from all over the world have folktales and grand stories of their land. Although many of these cultures are divided by language barriers and thousands of miles, they all all share one thing in common: Myths. Myths were told to answer questions that these ancient societies pondered. Although there were many types of myths, creation myths were told to teach values that were highly valuesRead MoreOrder From Chaos : Analyzing And Evaluating The Hellenic Creation Myth Through The Lens Of Biblical Tradition1384 Words   |  6 Pagesand Evaluating the Hellenic Creation Myth through the Lens of Biblical Tradition Greek mythology is often understood through the lens of analyzing a dead religion; it is assumed that the influence of such myths is passive and fixed, only effecting the lives of those already long gone, whereas the very nature of such myths is to be active, dynamic, and illuminative. I, like many others with Greek heritage, rarely engage actively with the ancient Hellenic myths. Despite this, it is valuable to understandRead MoreThe Amazons Were A Group Of Warrior Women Who Fought Many Of The Great Greek Heroes1596 Words   |  7 Pagesgreat Greek heroes. They consistently went against what was considered the normal female role and led lives like their male counterparts. Unlike some myths in Greek mythology, the myths that involve the Amazons are spread out over time and often have multiple variations of one myth. Myths involving the Amazons even sometimes have versions of the same myth with different Amazon warriors, making it difficult to understand what Amazon women is associat ed with the certain myth. Throughout Greek mythologyRead MoreGreek Mythology Throughout The Ages916 Words   |  4 PagesGreek Mythology throughout the Ages Greek mythology is the culmination of myths and teaching that began in Ancient Greek. These myths are diverse in the stories that they tell ranging from their gods, their heroes and the nature of the world. They also reveal much about their religious beliefs and practices during Ancient Greece. Today modern scholars study these myths in an attempt to better understand the religious and political practices of Ancient Greece and its civilization of way back whenRead More Classical Mythology Essay572 Words   |  3 Pages Classical Mythology What would one think if he goes back in time to a period where myths were common? Would one believe it to be true or hold his own opinion? I would say it depends on the situation and on what type of myth it is. Classical period was full of myths. There were many aspects to mythology that were held important in the classical era. One of the most significant aspects of the Greek mythology was that it was the primary concept to put humans at the midpoint of the universe. Not likeRead MoreComparing The Greek, Chinese, And The Christian Stories1738 Words   |  7 Pagesgrew up listening to them and watching TV dramas playing the stories out too. So I have a connection with the various stories and I want to explore them more in depth. I have chosen three creation stories to compare and contrast on. They are the Greek, Chinese, and the Christian stories. Personally, I have been taught both the Chinese and Christian creation stories. My parents grew up with different backgrounds, for my father his family came from a Taoist background, so the Chinese creation storyRead More Definition Essay1002 Words   |  5 PagesDefinition Essay The origin of the word myth seems to be a myth in itself. Myths have generally originated from a Greek history that used an oral tradition to explain events that occurred before the written word. Often supernatural beings or fictitious characters were used to explain popular ideas concerning phenomenas of nature or the history of people. The myths that were carried on from generation to generation were often very imaginative in an attempt to spark the interest of youngRead MoreMythological Explanations Of The Natural World1449 Words   |  6 PagesMythological explanations of the natural world began when man started to question how the extraordinary phenomena of earth and everything around it occurred. Of course, at that time, science was not a possible option, hence people all over the globe came up with their own stories and ideas of how mother nature does it’s breathtaking magic tricks. Theses stories began to be passed on from one generation to the next, mostly orall y spoken, and all having their own conclusions and opinions of how nature

Compare the opening of the novel ‘Jaws’ with the opening of the film Free Essays

The opening of the novel is at the beginning very quiet and kind of strange, it describes the shark ‘Jaws’ as the great fish and it describes how it moves ‘propelled by short sweeps of it’s crescent tail. It raises a kind of tension already because you don’t yet know what is going to happen and that is quiet scary in itself. It makes out that it is a very dark environment and that makes it more scary as well. We will write a custom essay sample on Compare the opening of the novel ‘Jaws’ with the opening of the film or any similar topic only for you Order Now It said that the fish survived only by moving and it was bearing water through it’s gills, the graphic of what the shark is doing and how it is moving is very detailed. We do not know where it is yet but we can guess because it is a fish so it must be in the sea, the sea is described as the night water so that emphasises the darkness of the sea which creates more tension. When the woman says she is going for a swim the audience doesn’t want her to because they know something is going to happen to her because of the opening scene of the shark underwater. When she does go in and keeps going deeper, you know that something bad is going to happen to her. Even if she doesn’t know that, and because the novel says that she can’t swim very well, you get worried that she won’t be able to get away from danger. The tension rises when danger gets closer and when it hits the graphic of the situation is very, very detailed. ‘Her groping fingers had found a nub of bone and tattered flesh’ it says, after that the lady dies and the man is asleep, being very vulnerable. Give a detailed description of the opening of the film. Explain what media / film devices Steven Spielberg uses and what affect they have upon the audience. At the beginning of the film there is a dolphin like sound then the ‘Jaws’ theme music, it is a scary type of music, it could make tension in a different scene, but not at the beginning because nothing is happening. Stephen Spielberg put the view in the sharks perspective, it is an underwater view of the great fish swimming along. He bit after that changes to a nice, calm scene of a beach party, there is a lot of people there so that shows safety, everyone is safe there. It shows everyone having a good time and it has lively, fun music on too, the camera then turns to look at a man, then the lady, then the man. The man goes over to the lady and they start talking, the lady gets up and goes over to the sea to have a swim, the man follows, this raises a bit of tension because the lady is going into the sea which is unwelcoming, dark and sinister. The camera pans out to a big picture of the sea that looks very evil. The man on the beach falls to sleep because he was drunk but the lady is still in the sea. She swims deeper and then you see a big picture of the sea and the lady swimming and she puts her leg in the air and then goes underwater, I think Stephen Spielberg did this to represent the dorsal fin of a shark, the tension is still rising at this point as you can feel her getting closer to danger. The view suddenly turns to the fish’s perspective again and the same scary, weird music is put on, it shows the fish looking up at the swimming lady from below, after a few more seconds it goes back to the view of the lady and she takes a deep breath very quickly, she gasps a few times then starts screaming, the music is even loader now and the fish pulls her across, she grabs onto a buoy and it rings loader than it had been, she gets dragged along the water a few more times then she dies. The drunken man had fallen asleep on the beach, knowing nothing about what had just gone on, a very vulnerable man. The camera shot goes back to the man, asleep on the beach with the sun just coming up beside him and the tips of the waves surrounding him. Similarities about the novel and film At the start of the film the first simile is that it is obvious that the girls name is Christie and it is in the film too. He man falls asleep in both of them although they both seem very different when you are reading and watching them. As, as before the man doesn’t have a name in the novel or film, at the beginning and near when Christie gets killed it is in the sharks perspective. As in the book, the shark is described a great fish, this rises the tension a bit as well. At the end of the opening sequences returns a sense of calm, both novel and film have symbolic uses of dark and light. Again, both the novel and film are alternate between the shark and the woman – the camera shots in the film and the paragraphs in the novel get shorter and speed up. The perspective and style of the attack is similar because the woman is pulled and dragged in the water. Differences between the novel ‘Jaws’ and the film As you would find out if you read the novel you will see that the graphic of the attack at the beginning is outstanding, it is scary and maybe terrifying. In the film there is not as much graphic and it is not as scary because of that. When the attack is taking place in the film the buoy is an important feature because it symbolises that no-one can hear her and that she is in great danger. In the film there is a larger group at the beach party, this symbolises safety in numbers and in the novel there is only two people at the beach. Because there is a lot of people in the film it adds to the honour and there is a lot of potential resources. This also lets the audience identify themselves with the scene. The novel seems and most properly is colder and more scientific than the film because the film can’t make use of the writing that the novel has. In the film the music adds to the mounting of tension and suspense but in the novel you have to use your imagination. In the film the music tone is threatening and sinister. In the novel, the house and lights in it represent hope and security but in the film it is the fire and the beach party. How to cite Compare the opening of the novel ‘Jaws’ with the opening of the film, Papers

Oedipus Psychological and Political- MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theOedipusfor Psychological and Political. Answer: Introduction Oedipus the King reveals as a psychological, political and a mystery story. From the beginning to the end of this great mythic story of patricide andcriminal congress,playwrightgives special importance to the person who was determined to expose, trade down and penalise an assassin. In the opening of the play, the Thebess voters humbly ask their king to raise the plague which was frightening them to destroy town. But the king had already sent Creon to Oracle in order to find out what is actually needed to be done. On hiscome back,mythical beingannounced that he has received the instruction from the oracle to search out Lauiss felon, the king of Thebes before Oedipus.The inventionandpenalizationof thefelon canfinishthe plague. At once,mythical beingsetson the point ofsolving the murder. As per the order of the king, Tiresias (the blind prophet)initiallyrefusesto talk,howeverfinally claim that he himself killed Lauis.Mythical beingangrily rejected the prophet and order him to leave. mocks and rejects the prophet angrily, ordering himto go away,however not aheadmythical being suggestsin darknessofincestuousweddingand away forward for ill fame, and itinerant. Oedipustriesin realisingrecommendationfromJocasta (the queen). she tells the king to ignore the him prophecies and explains him that once a prophet told her that her husband will die at their sons hands. She also told the king that the prophet was wrong as the baby died whereas his husband was killed by a bunch of crossroads. Oedipus gets disturbed by the remarks of the queen as while he was coming to the Thebes, he killed a person who was having a similar appearance as that of Laius. In order to find the reality, the king asks for the sole living viewer (a shepherd) for the murder. There was another worry that was haunting the king. He once got to know from an oracle that he was doomed for killing his father so as to get married to his mother. This fear bring him ultimately to the Thebes. Here, the queen again advised him to not to care regarding prophecies. In some time, the king gets to know that his father (Polybus) died because of old age. So in light of this, the queen again advises the king to stop caring about the prophecies. But the king was still worrying about the prophecy of marriage to his mother (Merope). Listening in, themessenger told the king that he get to know that Polybus and Merope were not the real parents of the king. In reality, a messenger gave the king to a royal couple when he was offered a deserted baby from Laiuss house. Now after hearing this, the king was very determined to meet the shepherd and also wasnts to know the truth behind his birth. But the queen requested him to stop all this and runs towards the palace with grief. King was pretty confident that the worst news for him will be his birth in lower class family. He was very eagerly waiting for the shepherd. Initially, the shepherd was not uttering anything but when he was scared to be killed, he tells the whole truth to the king. He told that the king was actually Laius and Jocastas son. Hence, despite of all the precautions followed by the king, he killed his own father and married his mother. All the sayings of the prophecies comes to be true. Oedipus then rushed into the palace and finds that the queen has committed suicide. He got very tortured and takes out the pins from the gown of the queen and hit the pins into his eyes so that he can no longer be able to see the misery that has caused by him. He then requests the Creon to kill him. But as the conclusion of the play, the king humbly awaits for the oracle so that the oracle will determine whether the king will stay in the Thebes or not. Historical Background The Athens was a tiny place. Its full name was Athens Sophocles. It was one of the independent states of the Greek cape. It held its position in all the democracy lives and the philosophy. Plato and Aristotle we taught in the Athens. They were the ones who gave birth to the western philosophy. In the fifth century, Athens was considered as the richest city of the Greek cape. The Athens army and navy altogether defeated the Aegean and the Persians and were awarded as the tribute money. Athens usually show some public arts, entertainments and celebrate the most notably festivals. By the middle of the fifth century, Athens was reached at the top of the chart but still most of the Athenians were unsafe as most of their land was dry and unfertile. They were having very less amount of food so they started fought with the neighbouring cities for the farmland and the food. Athens army and navy help the people in defeating all the cities. They arrange to solve their problems by conquering various cities and sought all the fertile land. But the rival city Sparta came to dominate the Athens in 431B.C. Athens gets defeated by the Sparta and lose all its power and royalty. The Oedipus Myth Just like various dramatists of the time of Sophocles, he also wrote a play as the theatrical representations of the myths of great Greek Culture. Greek culture is held in most of the national historic myths. Sophocles and his subordinates celebrate all the myths of the greek history into their plays of Trojan wars. The traditional story ofOedipus the kingthatconjointlyseemsconciselyin Homer shows the story of a persons great attempt to change the fate. This tragedy is based on the very painful and sad story of Oedipus in finding his own real identity. At the oracle, Oedipuss parents were warned by the Prophet that their own son will kill his father and will get married to his mother, the parents gave the child to a shepherd and tell him to leave the child in the dark mountains to let him die. But the pity shepherd took the child to the Corinth and gave him to the childless king and queen. They adopted the child without knowing any of his identity and named him Oedipus. Oedipus was grown up as the prince of the Corinth. But he was always told that Corinth King is not his real father, so he went to a prophet to know about the truth but the prophet tell the prince about the destiny regarding the murder of the father and get marrying with the mother. So as to avoid this destiny the king ran away from the Corinth and reached Thebes. Before entering Thebes, the king stayed near Thebes for sometime. There an old man insults him so Oedipus in anger killed the old man. That old man was Oedipuss father but he did not realize that. After that, The Oedipus met with the monstrous Sphinx, who was terrifying the Thebes from a long time. The Oedipus answered the question asked by the monster correctly and killed him. The people of the Thebes consider Oedipus as a hero and after getting the news of Laius being killed by the crossroads, they accept Oedipus as the king of the Thebes. As the king, Oedipus married Jocasta and they have four children. Despite of all the precautions the painful prophecy fulfilled. Dramatic Irony Since everyone knows that the plays of the Sophocles do not have any surprising factor but he arranged to hold the interest of the people in his plays by providing a dramatic irony as well as by the ways of interpretation of the plays. Dramatic irony refers to what Audience actually knows and think about the story but the story ends up in another end. Like in this play, the audience know that the play is regarding the Oedipus killing is father and marrying his mother. But in the end the play concluded with Oedipus finding the truth regarding his own identity. By watching this great play the audience get to know that the Oedipus was a great hero and take all the precautions so as to get away from the fate, but results in fulfilling the fate. It conveys that the destiny is permanent and cant be changed at any cost. Further this play of the Oedipus rex stands as the best dramatic play regarding the Greek myths as it is the greatest tragedy that has ever been written. Character List Oedipus:- He was the king of Thebes. In very young age, he saved the city Thebes by killing the monster who was terrifying the people of Thebes. He currently acts in the play as finding the man who killed the previous King of the Thebes. Creon:- He is brother in law of the King Oedipus. He is the most trustworthy advisor for the king and he travelled to the oracle so as to find the murdered of the King Laius. Tiresias:- He is a blind prophet who always helps and guides the king. Jocasta:- She is the queen of Thebes. She is the wife of the King Oedipus and widower of the earlier king of Thebes. He has to marry to marry the king in order to save the town Thebes from the monster Sphinx. Atraveller:-He is the person who came from the palace and gave the knews of queen being dead and King being becoming blind to the people of the Thebes. A Shepherd:- He is a herder who lived in the near mountains and was once served in King Laiuss house. AMessenger from Corinth:He is the person who brings the Oedipus to the Corinths King and queen from the Thebess king. Antigone and Ismenn:- They were the young daughters of the King Oedipus. Summary In the opening of the play, the people of the Thebes request the Oedipus to find the murderer of the King Laius. Oedipus shows the mercy to the people and sends his brother in law to the oracle to find what they. As earlier, the monster was killed by the Oedipus so they came very early to him so as to get rid of the problem as soon as possible. Oedipus thinks that the plague of the Thebes can be finished if the killer of the former king will be found. He took various small actions to find the murderer and results in finding his own real identity. Conclusion The initial scene of the tragedy presents the King Oedipus as the King of the Thebes. The audience sitting in the theatre already knows the myth that the King Oedipus will conclude in killing his own father and will marry his mother. But the characters that are present onstage do not have any plan to dramatize this scene. This scene represents the tragedy and also indicates the direction to the audience in which the play will run. But as we know, the plays written by the Sophocles always have a dramatic irony. In the same way this play end up in a completely different reality. The King Oedipus, was born up and groomed in Corinth. He once was told by a prophet that he will kill his father and marry his mother. So as to change this destiny, Oedipus ran from the Corinth and reached Thebes. There he killed the King Laius of the Thebes unknowingly and became the hero of the people of the Thebes by killing the monster Sphinx. He then became the king of the Thebes and as per the request of the people of Thebes, he started finding the person who kills the former king of the Thebes and results in finding his own real identity. References Beer J, Oedipus Tyrannus Brill's Companion to Sophocles 93 Ahrensdorf PJ, Introduction Greek Tragedy and Political Philosophy 1 Ahrensdorf PJ, Greek Tragedy and Political Philosophy Approaching Greek Drama [2008] A Guide to Ancient Greek Drama 230 Aristotelian Texts Used Tragic Pleasures Chronology Of Greek Drama Greek Drama And Dramatists Dreams; Interpretation of dreams Brills New Pauly Furtwangler A and Strong E, Masterpieces Of Greek Sculpture Masterpieces of Greek Sculpture Introduction [2009] How to Read World Literature 1 Oedipus the King Oedipus the King Tragedy and Greek Religion Greek Tragedy 60 V. Oedipus Tyrannus [2011] The Past in Aeschylus and Sophocles Bibliography Brunner, M. "King Oedipus Retried" Rosenberger Krausz, London, 2001 Foster, C. Thomas. "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" HarperCollins, New York, 2003 Oedipus Rex- Annotated text and analysis Oedipus the KingBook Notesfrom Literapedia Oedipus the KingfromProject Gutenberg

The Ignorance of Bliss free essay sample

The Ignorance of Bliss Is it really better to be completely deluded about your reality, and live a still fairly normal life, rather than deciding to take arms against your previously unknown captors and live a harsh and barbaric lifestyle, but with complete freedom. This is one of the moral difficulties presented by the movie â€Å"The Matrix†. Almost the whole of the human population is living in a complete delusion of their surroundings, thinking that they are actually living normal lives, when in actuality they are energy sources for giant machines. There is are select few that live outside the â€Å"matrix† and are mounting a resistance against the machines, but, like previously mentioned, what is the morally correct thing for the â€Å"resistance† to do. Leave the people in the matrix, or allow them to fight in a hostile world? According to John Stuart Mill’s â€Å"Utilitarianism† the choice is simple. Leave them in their world where they could be the happiest. We will write a custom essay sample on The Ignorance of Bliss or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This view is almost naive in its simplicity. The decision could never be so simple. John Stuart Mill’s â€Å"Utilitarianism† explains how the most morally right thing to do, in it’s most simple, broken down form, is the thing that results in the most happiness to whoever is experiencing the consequences. When looked at from this angle, again, the decision Neo from â€Å"The Matrix† is very simple: leave all of the people inside the matrix exactly where they are, as their position within the matrix leaves them in more happiness than any life outside it. But, as previously mentioned, this seems like a completely ridiculous idea, as all of those humans are being utterly deceived in ways they cannot possibly imagine. So, how in any way can this be the correct decision? Would it not be better to allow those people to fight for there freedom? Is not freedom an unalienable right of all of humanity? But, then again, would not the decision to take those people out of the matrix be taking away their self same freedom of choice? Taking the decision out of their hands and making it for them, that right there, would be almost the same as the machines themselves. There is the argument that allowing the humans to atrophy in the cocoons that the machines are making them stay in would be the morally incorrect decision. That true happiness is actually imperfect, that the only way to actually be happy with your life as it is, is to be unsatisfied with it. This would allow for pursuit, allow for room to grow and improve your life more than it is. If one is completely happy, then how could there be anything to live for? So, in essence, if one were to take those humans from all their happiness and life within the matrix, everything that they have built within their own minds, release them from the lie in which they are living, and bring them to the hostile world outside the matrix, to fight creatures who are infinitely more powerful than humans, it could be considered the more moral decision, as it improves the actually quality of happiness that they experience. This quality of life, quality of happiness, and quality of freedom is worth any suffering, as it would give those humans something to live for and fight for. That itself improves the morality of the decision to free the humans over that of leaving them in the matrix. It is better to have a certain quality of happiness, than to have more happiness of a lesser quality. But, neither one of these seems to be the truly moral decision. How could anybody take the lives of any other person into their own hands and make it their own decision? Not only that, but to make this decision in the name of morality makes it immoral. Instead, the better decision would, in point of fact, be to not make the decision at all. There is almost no way to make such a decision without infringing upon the rights of those people you are deciding for. So, instead, why not allow them to make the decision for themselves. And this is exactly what the movie â€Å"The Matrix† actually does. Neo is first given the choice, â€Å"the blue pill, or the red pill†. One would make the person who took it fall asleep and completely forget about â€Å"the outside world†. The other would break the consumer free of the clutches of the machines and allow them to live outside the matrix. So, now the decision does actually seem to be quite simple, although very different. It seems that the decision would be to give the decision up to the very person whose choice it should be, the imprisoned person. This way they could retain their freedom of choice, maybe they decide to break free and defeat the machines, or to stay oblivious and live their lives as they remain; but no matter what that decision is, it should be their own. Then again, this decision causes a second moral crisis to surface. By fighting the machines, the human resistance will be making a decision for the other humans who are choosing to stay in the matrix. By fighting the machines, the human resistance would be fighting the matrix, which in turn, would be fighting the people who wished to stay inside the matrix. So, what could the actual correct moral decision be? In fact, is there ever a â€Å"correct† moral decision? It seems that, the only logical conclusion to be made from this, is that there is no simple decision to be made. Because each decision that a human makes has a huge effect on the lives of other people. In this case, that same decision could have astronomical effects on the entire human race. So, when that is taken into account, the person making the decisions, in this case, Neo must make this decision for the benefit of humanity. And thus, the decision must be made for the furthering of the entirety of humanity, and thus, no one human’s needs could be made a priority. And so, in conclusion, the imprisonment of humanity must be ended, and all humans must fight the machines to improve the quality of life, freedom, and happiness for all human life. What a difficult decision. According to John Stuart Mill’s, the proper â€Å"Utilitarian† choice would be to leave the humans in the Matrix, because it allows them to stay in their relatively â€Å"normal† life. But, leaving them to be deceived on such a degrading level could never possibly be considered the moral choice. There is just something so instinctually wrong about seeing nearly your entire species incapacitated and used so terribly. So even from a purely self-preserving point of view, that decision is wrong. But then again, neither one of these decisions are truly correct, as you are still taking their freedom of choice. So the true choice, from an individual standpoint, would be to allow those people trapped in the matrix the choice to either stay within their deluded lives, or leave it and fight the machines. But from a species stand point, the only choice is to fight and free everyone for the sake of our future.

Resources For Writing an AP Lit Essay

Resources For Writing an AP Lit EssayWhen you are looking for a resource to write an AP Lit essay for your curriculum, Pygmalion could be the perfect place to start. Although there are other ways to get a good AP Lit essay, it does make a difference if you choose the right resource to help you. You can find all of the resources that are needed to start writing AP Lit essays on this site.These resources have essay samples that are free for you to review so that you know what writing style to use when you begin writing your essay. Many of the resources on this site also have some resources that are a free download that can make it easier for you to understand the concepts and examples that are being discussed in these essays.One of the many different resources that can help you understand and begin writing your AP Lit essay is by reading essays that have already been written by other students who also took the AP Lit exam. These essay samples include the author's notes from when they w rote the essay, as well as any thoughts that they had about what it was like to take the exam. You will be able to use these essays to see what types of concepts are discussed in the course material that you need to know when you begin writing your essay.Another great resource for you to use is by reviewing the course materials for yourself. If you don't want to have to take a look at the AP Lit essay for yourself, you can just follow the links that you will find throughout the site. The links that you find on this site include links to where you can find the lessons that you need to learn before you take the AP Lit exam.This will allow you to create an outline for your essay before you actually take the AP Lit exam so that you can focus on the concepts that you will need to be familiar with to help you write your essay well. You should not write your essay based on what you have read or heard but rather what you can write based on what you have learned from the lesson plans. Writin g an AP Lit essay based on the information that you have taken from the lessons that you have looked at is a good way to learn the format that you need to use for the essay.Although the online resources are free for you to use, you may want to use the resources that have some sort of fee to them before you begin writing your essay. You can always review the essay sample that has been used by other students who have written their AP Lit essays and see if it will work for you.Overall, the online resources for writing your AP Lit essay are designed to make it easy for you to get started. There are different ways to write your essay, and each of the resources that are offered by Pygmalion can help you write the essay that you need to write in order to pass the AP Lit exam.