Jocastas Monlogue From Oedipus the King

This dramatic female monologue comes from the Greek play Oedipus the King, Sophocles’ most famous tragedy. Some Necessary Background Information Queen Jocasta (Yo-KAH-stuh) is one of Greek mythology’s most ill-fated characters. First, she and her husband King Laius (LAY-us) learn from the Delphic Oracle (a sort of ancient fortune teller) that their newborn child is destined to kill his father and marry his mother. So, in the play’s first attempt by characters to outwit Fate, they pierce their baby’s ankles to bind them together and leave the child out in the wilderness to die. Little does Jocasta know that a kindly herdsman saves her child. The baby is called Oedipus (ED-uh-pus) – which means swollen ankles - by his adoptive parents, King Polybus (PAH-lih-bus) and Queen Merope (Meh-RUH-pee) from the  nearby city-state of Corinth. When Oedipus grows up, completely unaware that he was a â€Å"foundling,† he learns of the  prophecy that claims that he will commit both patricide and incest. Because he believes that this prediction applies to Polybus and Merope, the parents that he loves, he quickly leaves town believing that he can avoid that terrible fate. This is the plays second attempt by a character to outwit Fate. His escape route has him heading towards the city of Thebes. On his way there, he is almost run over by the chariot of an arrogant king. This king just happens to be King Laius (Oedipus’s biological father). They fight and guess what? Oedipus slays the king. Prophecy Part One fulfilled. Once in Thebes, Oedipus solves a riddle that saves Thebes from a monstrous Sphinx and therefore he  becomes the new king of Thebes. Since the previous king died in an incident of ancient road rage, which for some reason no one ever connects to Oedipus, the current queen Jocasta is a widow and needs a husband. So Oedipus weds the older but still beautiful Queen Jocasta. That’s right, he marries his mother! And over the years, they produce four children. Prophecy Part Two fulfilled – but almost everyone, including Oedipus himself, remains unaware of all of the thwarted efforts to trick Fate. Just prior to the monologue below, news has arrived that the king Oedipus believes to be  his father has died – and it was not at Oedipus’s hand! Jocasta is exceedingly pleased and relieved, but Oedipus is still bothered by the second part of the prophecy. His wife tries to ease the fears of her husband (who is also her son – but she has not figured this out yet) in this speech. JOCASTA: Why should a mortal man, the sport of chance, With no assured foreknowledge, be afraid? Best live a careless life from hand to mouth. This wedlock with thy mother fear not thou. How oft it chances that in dreams a man Has wed his mother! He who least regards Such brainsick fantasies lives most at ease. In another translation of the same monologue translated by Ian Johnston. (Locate Line 1160.) This translation is more modern than the one above and will help you understand the heightened language. (Its also worth looking through this version of the play for additional monologues by Jocasta.) Many Freudian scholars have paid particular attention to this short dramatic monologue. Read up on Freud’s Oedipal Complex and you will understand why. Video Resources Short on time and want to know more about the story of Oedipus? Here is a short, animated version of the story of Oedipus the King and this video tells the story of Oedipus in Eight Minutes.

A Brief Examination Of Wealth Inequality - 1663 Words

A Brief Examination of Wealth Inequality in America Thomas Buonanno Debating U.S. Issues April 7, 2017 With every passing moment, the problem gets worse, and many people in this country do not even know it exists. Over the past few decades, the middle class has slowly begun to disappear as trillions of dollars have shifted to the top 1% of the country. This pandemic so infiltrated the American economy that the richest 400 individuals in America today own more wealth than the poorest 150 million people, more than half the country’s population. Despite a thriving GDP, the wages of workers have stagnated, and, simultaneously, the economy has grown so top-heavy that it is at risk of capsizing. Ever since the 1970s, the gap†¦show more content†¦In 1978, the richer household was 220 times wealthier than the average household. Today, the richer household is an astonishing 1,220 times wealthier than the average household. Robert Putnam, a Public Policy Professor at Harvard University said the following about the situation: â€Å"We’re moving toward an America that no ne of us has ever lived in, a world of two Americas, a completely economically divided country.† This may seem dramatic, but in many ways, this is a new reality for millions of Americans. We have begun to settle for a lower standard of living blaming our lack of wealth on â€Å"the poor economy.† This is an erroneous position which the top 1% thrives upon. In reality, it is not the economy, but how the economy’s rules are set up that determines who benefits from the wealth generated. For instance, any one of the ten wealthiest individuals in America made enough money in 2012 to pay the cost of individual housing for every homeless person in America for an entire year. Upon comparing 141 different countries, the United States ranked 4th-highest in wealth inequality, with only Ukraine, Lebanon and Russia having a more polar distribution of wealth. These statistics would not present a problem if only Americans could work their way up the socioeconomic ladder. Despite their efforts, however, much of the data shows that upward mobility is improbable if not impossible in many cases. American workers have used several tactics to try to break out ofShow MoreRelatedEffects Of The North American Free Trade Agreement1575 Words   |  7 Pagesanticipate easy entry into the Mexican market† (McDonald 1996:94). Therefore, the nature of the competitive relationship between the two countries under NAFTA merits examination. (McDonald 325) While dairy farmers had it hard, other plants have had rapid growth in manufacture positions, such as the maquiladoras. 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Gender Inequality Essay Example For Students

Gender Inequality Essay The issue of Gender Inequality Essay is one which has been publicly reverberating through society for decades. The problem of inequality in employment being one of the most pressing issues today. In order to examine this situation one must try to get to the root of the problem and must understand the sociological factors that cause women to have a much more difficult time getting the same benefits, wages, and job opportunities as their male counterparts. The society in which we live has been shaped historically by males. The policy-makers have consistently been male and therefore it is not surprising that our society reflects those biases which exist as a result of this male-domination. It is important to examine all facets of this problem, but in order to fully tackle the issue one must recognize that this inequality in the workforce is rooted in what shapes future employees and employers education. This paper will examine the inequalities in policy, actual teaching situations, admission to post-secondary institutions, hiring, and job benefits and wages. It will also tackle what is being done to solve this problem and what can be done to remedy the situation. The late 1960s brought on the first real indication that feminist groups were concerned with the education system in North America. The focus of these feminist groups captured the attention of teachers, parents, and students. At first the evidence for inequality in schooling was based on no more than specific case studies and anecdotal references to support their claims but as more people began to show concern for the situation, more conclusive research was done to show that the claims of inequality were in fact valid and definitely indicated a problem with the way that schools were educating the future adults of society. One of the problems which became apparent was the fact that the policy-makers set a curriculum which, as shown specifically through textbooks, was sexist and for the most part still is. Textbooks are one of the most important tools used in educating students whether they are elementary school storybooks or university medical textbooks. It is therefore no surprise that these books are some of the most crucial information sources that a student has throughout their schooling. Many studies have been done examining the contents of these books to reveal the amount of sexism displayed in these educational tools. The results clearly show that gender inequality definitely runs rampant in textbooks some of the sexism subtle and some overt. To begin with, it is apparent that historical texts show a distorted view of women by portraying them unfairly and inaccurately and neglecting to mention important female figures, instead opting to describe their sometimes less influential male counterparts. Elementary and secondary school textbooks are also guilty of gender bias. In elementary and secondary school textbooks, sexism takes many forms. Boys predominate in stories for children; they outnumber girls 5 to 2. When girls are present in texts, they are almost always younger than the boys they are interacting with, which thus makes them foils for the boys greater experience and knowledge a situation commonly referred to as the ninny sister syndrome. Girls are shown to be far more passive than are boys and to engage in fewer activities. In fact, sometimes grown women are portrayed who rely on small boys (often their young sons) to help them out of difficulty. (Fishel and Pottker 1977. p. 8) Surprisingly it is not only these hidden forms of sexism that appear in textbooks. One study found sixty-five stories that openly belittled girls (two were found that belittled boys). Another study pointed out an instance where Mark, of the Harper Row Mark and Janet series, states: Just look at her. She is just like a girl. How Does Gatsby Represent The American Dream EssayThis is shown very crudely in the book Careers for Women in Canada which was published in 1946 and written by a woman. The book devotes almost 200 pages to pursuing careers in such fields as catering, sewing, being a secretary, interior decorating, the arts, teaching, and nursing while it only allocates 30 pages to medicine, law, dentistry, engineering, optometry, and more combined. The following quote clearly illustrates the beliefs of the more liberal people of that time. Some women have specialized in surgery. There can be no doubt but that a capable woman may operate very successfully on women and children, though it is doubtful whether a man would call in the services of a female surgeon except in an emergency. (Carriere 1946, p. 234) Although much has improved since the 1940s, the enrollment numbers in university programs clearly indicate that women still have a long way to go before gender is not an issue. After choosing a career path, women enter the workplace with a disadvantage. They have the same financial responsibilities as men with regards to supporting families and themselves and much of the time they have an even heavier burden because there are many women in todays society who are single mothers. Given that there is no question that the need for money is identical it can, therefore, be concluded that there is a major problem with the wage structure in todays jobs. The wage gap clearly shows that society as a whole puts more value on the work of males than on the same work done by females. The facts that have been displayed above howing that education is itself a sexist institution perhaps explain why there is this inequality once schooling is finished. The fact that textbooks show males as being more successful than females, that teachers set assignments which reinforce gender stereotypes and sex roles, the fact that masculine behaviour is reinforced while feminine behaviour is condemned, and the fact that women are encouraged to choose certain career paths all validate the claim that the gender inequality in employment situations can be directly related to the way that children are educated.