Free Essays - Social Expectations in Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex) :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Social Expectations in Oedipus the King It is made clear that the citizens of Thebes were religious and had a deep reliance on the gods. "You cannot equal the gods..."p161. It was expected socially, that the citizens of Thebes recognized the gods power, and so for Jocasta to refer to the prophecies as "hollow" would not have been generally accepted behaviour. The priest is an elderly and religious man, something we realise is well respected in Thebes as Oedipus who is king, speaks with the priest on an equal level. The elderly were considered to be wise and therefore socially it would be expected that even the king should be polite to them. "Speak up, old man. Your years, your dignity..." p. 159 Oedipus is rude to Teiresias who is also a wise and religious man. "You're a nuisance here..."p185. Oedipus is not living up to his social expectations here, signifying he is fast approaching his downfall. Oedipus is seen to have double standards with regards to the idea of murder. He is aware that he has killed someone, yet to hear that King Laius was killed, he seems appalled, "...so daring, so wild, he'd kill a king?"p166. It is depicted as being morally less acceptable to kill someone of "royal blood". The king was someone who the people of Thebes turned to when they needed help, "find us strength, rescue!" p. 161. Oedipus had set himself high social expectations after helping free Thebes "from the sphinx". Oedipus was admired as being "best of men" p. 161, and therefore socially the citizens would have expected him to help them when they needed it. Oedipus was kinder to the citizens and more open with them than was generally expected from a king, "my children" p. 162. He spoke to them directly and not through a messenger, showing the closeness between the people and their king, "Here I am myself..." p. 159. Oedipus and Creon put all their efforts in to finding the killer of Laius. They take it on as their moral obligation as it has gone so far without justice being made, "But you, loyal men of Thebes who approve my actions, may our champion, Justice, may all the gods be with us.

Which Film Director Deserves to be voted into your personal `Movie making Hall of Fame?`

If George Lucas can be considered the father of the science-fiction blockbuster movie, Ridely Scott, a brilliant film-maker in his own right, who professes to have been deeply influenced by Lucas, might be rightly considered the father of the modern space-gothic movie. This distinction comprises only a slice of Scott's overall career, but it is a significant slice.While Lucas defined what many consider to be the epitome of America's romantic imagination and optimism, Scott at least partially defines American romanticism and optimism tempered by an existential awareness, and by an unflinching confrontation with the â€Å"real world† which exists in tandem and in conflict with the dreams-capes as represented in Scott's films. This tension is present in the four films which concern our present discussion and finds application in both genre and non-genre concepts.In this way, Scott's real world/fantasy world conflict bridges a gap between science fiction films, Alien and Bladerunn er, and â€Å"mainstream† films Thelma & Louise and Black Hawk Down. Scott's contribution to American film-making can be summarized by five central qualities which are evident throughout his film-making career and are evidenced in the four films relevant to the present discussion. These qualities are: anti-commerciality, social relevancy, strong (and violent) female characters, a blending of realism and surrealism, and an existentially driven romanticism which stresses the human capacity to overcome adversity and tragedy.Scott is often an overlooked â€Å"answer† to the grandiose films of his era. That he was inspired by Star Wars to make films of a dramatic and spectacular quality, but that he does so more with story and conflict and theme than with special effects is a testament to his boldness but it is also a centerpiece of his overall aesthetic which unites realism with ideal imagery, surrealism, and dream-scape imagery.By examining each of the points ore closely in relation to the four films, it becomes much easier to appreciate the full thematic and aesthetic accomplishments of Scott's masterpiece, Bladerunner, which can be considered a â€Å"signature† work which embodies Scott's art at its highest expression. Despite Bladerunner's poor box-office performance, Scott's anti-commercial tendencies are likely to be disputed or outrightly dismissed by many; however, a film like Thelma & Louise has little in the way of a genuine predecessor, least of all one with a track-record of enormous commercial success.Similarly, Black Hawk Down is the story of a failed American military mission in Somalia and bucks the strong Hollywood tradition of showing an heroic vision of war. Alien was released at a time when Star Wars had redefined the science-fiction genre in film, exerting a massive influence toward science-fantasy and spectacle on the screen. Scott's film is a meditative, spooky, mostly silent voyage in space. The tag-line for the film wa s â€Å"In space no-one can hear you scream.† Scott's masterwork Bladerunner was a box-office and critical flop upon its release and stood as a radical reworking of an obscure science-fiction novel titled â€Å"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? † The anti-commercial aspects of Scott's work extend beyond box-office revenue to cultural commentary and social critique. Of the four films under discussion, Scott's social relevancy is most evident in his non-genre films, Thelma & Louise and Black Hawk Down.In the latter film, Scott examines the true-life story of â€Å"the loss of a â€Å"mere eighteen soldiers†; his film is â€Å"designed to get us beyond[†¦ ] academic abstractification, to give us moral proximity to suffering, to the physicality of violence† and his searching directorial eye finds excellent use for realism in this film. Scott's movie takes the viewer into the â€Å"events, exploring the interactions between humans and technology in t he battlefield,† and this intimate view brings Scott's recurrent theme of strength beyond tragedy into hard-edged almost documentary-style focus, (Lacy, 27).While Black Hawk Down examines the impact of violence on social harmony and on the individual lives of male combatants, Thelma & Louise, no less violent nor less socially relevant than Black Hawk Down, envisions the modes of violent conflict in society from the perspective of strong female characters. Although criticized in many quarters for fashioning a tale which is not true to womens' experience, Thelma & Louise is intentionally non-realistic and represents a mode of near-fantasy, where reality and heroic myth merge.Scott's own comments on modern film-making reveal some of the logic behind his wide-ranging techniques and approaches, blending acute realistic detail with mythic fantasy: â€Å"I think movie making has just become more expert in the face of these subjects, with different camera angles and different techniq ues: they demand a more detailed way of looking at things,† (Lacy, 27). Where the violence of Black Hawk Down was received by critics and audiences as an unflinchingly realistic appraisal of the consequences (and futility) of certain kinds of military interventions , the violence in Scott's earlier film Thelma & Louise was viewed negativelyas fantasy wish-indulgence. Critics failed to recognize the film's underlying motifs; instead, â€Å"Thelma and Louise which was judged, and found wanting, as an account of women’s lives. The standards of truth against which popular films have been judged, standards which rarely admit the complexity of terms like fantasy, can also operate to silence the other stories to which they attempt to give a voice,† and this ability to fuse fantasy with realistic detail is Scott's great genuis as a filmmaker, (Tasker, 8).This fusion is evident at its most profound expression in Scott's most accomplished film Bladerunner. As in Thelma &Lo uise, Scott brings elements of the action-film to Bladerunner but like Thelma & Louise the action paradigm is given a twist by the pairing of a male-female â€Å"buddy† team in Deckert and Rachel. Similarly, there is a question as to whether Deckert is himself a replicant. To this extent, Scott's â€Å"action cinema depends on a complex articulation of both belonging and exclusion, an articulation which is bound up in the body of the hero and the masculine identity that it embodies.These dramas of belonging and exclusion mobilise discourses of national, racial and gendered identity through intimate fictional groupings such as the platoon, the police squad or the buddy relationship,† and in the case of Bladerunner and Thelma & Lousie, the â€Å"intimate† fictional groupings indicate a social awareness of those whom society may have tried to forget or overlook. (Tasker, 8). Scott's ability to weave a dream-scape of images through his â€Å"realistic† aesthe tic is brought to it greatest height in Bladerunner.This space-gothic masterpiece shows that Scott is basically what might be termed as an existentialist romantic as a film-maker, an unusual combination and one which fuels his films with unparalleled tension between wished-for fantasy and seemingly unchangeable reality. In each of the four films discussed, the line between fantasy and reality is crossed usually indicated by a tragedy or crises, so that Scott's ultimate vision includes characters heroically attempting to snatch their dreams from a dystopian or near-dystopian world, where tragedy becomes a catharsis to the attainment or partial attainment of individual happiness.

When Is The Last Time You Fought With Someone For Hours

When is the last time you fought with someone for hours and still did not get your way? You may have begged your teacher to let you hand in an assignment late, or tried to convince your parents to extend your curfew. You may have been disappointed when you failed to succeed in this, most likely because the lack of proper argumentation technique. Argumentation takes place all around the world in messages designed to influence other beliefs and behaviors. A rational argument adapts to the audience in an ethical manner, fulfills the requirements of presumption and burden of proof and effectively supports the claims while avoiding common fallacies. Audience analysis is one of the most important aspects of creating a respectable argument. Since†¦show more content†¦The audience plays a crucial part here, as they are active participants. It is important that all participants be knowledgeable, open minded, and respectful. Lastly, the logical perspective relies on the audience’s knowledge of logical patterns such as a cause- effect reasoning. The audience in this case, acts as disinterested and is more of a third-party judge (Rybacki 10). Regardless of perspective, the argumentation for the intended audience must abide by certain ethical standards. Argumentation is based around the conscious choices of what to say to influence the audience. â€Å"Advocates have an ethical responsibility not to deceive their audiences or other arguers by using obscure or ambiguous language, confusing patterns of organization, or ideas encumbered by nonessential information or ideas† (Rybacki 16). With this said, choosing clear and concrete language in an organized structure gives the arguer assurance that their message was not misinterpreted. Honesty is also extremely important in a successful argument, and the arguer should know their topic thoroughly to avoid false information. Moreover, stating the opposing viewpoints allows for a more effective and ethical discussion. Efficiency as an ethical standard gives the advocate the obligation to develop arguments that have the necessary rational power to make their point (Rybacki 17). KarynShow MoreRelatedBattle Of Little Bighorn : The Worst Defeat Of American History1314 Words   |  6 Pag esdefeat but the brave men who became patriots that fought for their country will forever be named for their devotion. Those men gave their lives to save future generations. The men that would give their lives for ours should be honored for their bravery. We are the people they fought to save and for that we owe them our approval. They started their journey with the march. The march on the river was long and unbarring for the brave men who fought to protect our country. On June 25, 1876 General GorgeRead MoreDescriptive Essay About Unhappy Family750 Words   |  3 Pagesdifferent. 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