Month: September 2023

Introduction to Iago’s Motivation

While uncovering Iago’s motivation to plot against Othello and Cassio, it is pertinent to mention “motiveless malignity” of A. C. Bradley that Iago simply hates for the sake of hatred and does not tolerate any good, loving “evil purely for itself” (139). But at the same time, he is also a human being who has hatred against Othello that springs from various motives such as stopping his money-making drive from Roderigo in the name of Desdemona. Roderigo says that Iago “hast had my purse” (Shakespeare 1.1.3). The second reason could be the superseding of his post that Othello awards to Cassio who is not superior to him in skills but only in loyalty to the Moor. There could be other reasons for his diabolical machinations but they all mostly spring from the hatred that has emerged from the reason that Othello is becoming a threat to his money he gets from Roderigo. Although he is considered an innocent and good person by all other characters to whom he causes serious harm by involving in one or the other plot, he has harbored the single aim of destroying Othello and all others who are coming his way, but at the same time Bradley’s views seem to have some support, for he is against everything that seems good. The formal analysis reveals that Iago’s motivation is money from Roderigo, and his jealousy against Othello for causing him bad repute and promoting Cassio while jealousy and hatred against Cassio stems from his undue promotion and his loyalty to the Moor.

Money as Iago’s Motivation

As far as money is concerned, it seems Iago’s motivation of this is clearly involved in manipulating the infatuation of Roderigo for Desdemona. Roderigo is madly in love with Desdemona and has met failure in wooing her. To top it all, he finds that she has already eloped with the Moor, whom he hates for his battlefield experience. When he talks to Iago about it, Iago reveals in the very first lines that Iago is taking from him money as if it is all his, and the last line that he “shouldst know of this” (1.3) seems a sort of warning for Iago that it would stop, if he does not succeed. This Iago does not verify, as he alludes Roderigo into making him believe that he truly despises the Moor the reason that he is collaborating with Roderigo. It also seems that he is informing Roderigo about other motivation that seems to make Roderigo believe that Iago is with him and that he will woo back Desdemona for him or plot something against the Moor. This shows that Iago hates Othello but he is also jealous of him due to his having many “war epithets” to his name (1.1. 14). Here it becomes a double hatred, but it seems a jealousy of the position of Othello, too.

Jealousy of Iago’s Motivation

The situation becomes even more frustrating for Iago though none other character speaks about Othello’s illicit relations with his wife except himself as he reveals in his soliloquy that the people are talking about Othello that he has “that ‘twixt sheets / He has done my office” (1.3.388). This clearly alludes to the cause of jealousy as Iago’s motivation which could be a point that he is constantly plotting against Othello and everything that is connected with him in some or the other way. Although there is nothing mentioned about this second affair, it could be a machination of Iago’s mind to convince himself that he should turn his attention to plotting against the Moor who has made the string of his purse tight in an indirect way. The laughing matter over this motivation is that even Iago himself says that ” I know not if’t be true” (1.3.389). He, on the other hand, makes it sure that he would consider it confirmed. This points to the very first sentence where he has stated that he hates the Moor. After this, he has contrived reasons. Once he has made up his mind that he starts making plans to make Othello pay for it, and it is surely the creation of the previous motive of stopping his money as well as causing him to have low self-esteem by having a good reputation of a warring general. Although overall, due to his own confession, this is another Iago’s motivation, the prime hatred due to the promotion of Cassio seems genuine.

Promotion of Cassio as Iago’s Motivation

In fact, Cassio’s promotion is more due to Cassio’s fidelity and closeness with the Moor rather than due to his ability of knowing battle tactics or the art of warfare. Iago clearly says that Cassio has “never set a squadron in the field / Nor the divisions of the battle knows” (1.1.21-22). On the other hand, Cassio also has motive of jealousy for Iago that is a “fair wife” (1.1.21). It could be that Emilia, his own wife is not fair, but it is a motive of jealousy here that his wife is already in a relationship with the Moor, while both the Moor as well as Cassio have good and beautiful wives. This is, perhaps, linked to the jealousy he is feeling from Cassio’s promotion but it has transformed into hatred against the Moor and jealousy against Cassio. It has also become hatred against Cassio too, for if he harms the Moor and leaves Cassio, it indirectly means to give Cassio a chance to get another promotion leaving him far behind. He expresses his misgivings about Cassio when in the Second Act, they all arrive in Cyprus and Cassio greets his wife Emilia. He says, “I fear Cassion with my night-cap, too” (2.1.307). This somewhat raises the suspicion that he suspects his wife for having relations with Cassio, too which another sub-motive within the broad range of motives, but it could be otherwise too. However, one thing is pertinent to mention here that he again suspects his wife of having slept with the Moor at this point which clarifies his earlier lie and seems that he is convincing himself again. This seems another Iago’s motivation.

Levels of Iago’s Motivation

His motive of ensnaring Cassio goes on two levels. The first is that Cassio is promoted over him un-deservingly and unjustly and second is that his wife is fair, as it has already been stated. The third motive is also stated that is fear. However, what is not stated is that it is also jealousy due to his own handsome features. And second is that Cassio has been a cause of his misery, the reason that he sets Roderigo to kill Cassio or vice versa, thinking that “Every way makes my gain” (5.1.12). This means he is merely jealous of Cassio more than the Moor, for he also thinks that Cassio “has daily beauty in his life” (5.1.19). This is an indication that he contrasts himself with his beautiful nature as well as his handsome features and thinks that he cannot come close to Cassio. This also points to his bad nature that in this way he cannot come close to goodness, the reason that goodness must be destroyed in every way, so that he could replace the Moor.

Conclusion

Concluding the essay, it could be stated that though Iago is an evil-incarnate, he is still a human being, but the problem with him is that he is caught in the net of hatred, jealousy, money-making drive and so many things that he is set to hate or feel jealous. His only option is to hate and then plot likewise. Therefore, Iago’s motivation is, at first, just hatred which leads to second, and then so on. The web spreads into jealousy against the black Moor for winning Desdemona which moves forward into having suspicion of the Moor and his own wife for illicit relations, then jealousy of promoting the inferior Cassio ignoring him. All these motives amalgamate into one another, leading him to convince himself more and weaving more plots to kill all whoever comes his way until all the people are at each other’s throats and Iago himself is wiped out in these machinations. This also proves that he has hatred against the Moor for his success not only in war but also in love which sets him to move plots against him. Moreover, Iago is also a greedy person who has set eyes on Roderigo, which is a sort of corruption and this corruption sets him on the course to other motives. All in all, whatever the motive is, they all become secondary to the prime motive of money-making and then feeling hatred against the Moor, leading to planning against all whoever is associated with him.

Works Cited

1. Bradley, A. C. “1904 “Othello” from Shakespearean Tragedy. ” Bloom’s Shakespeare Through the Ages: Othello edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2008.
2. Shakespeare, William. Othello.” Minnesota: Paradigm Publishing, 2005.

Relevant Questions about Iago’s Motivation for Plotting Against Othello and Cassio

1. What are the underlying reasons and personal motivations that drive Iago’s motivation to plot against Othello and Cassio, and how do these motivations evolve throughout the play?
2. How does Iago’s manipulation of other characters, such as Roderigo and Emilia, serve to further his agenda and advance his motives against Othello and Cassio?
3. What psychological factors or character traits contribute to Iago’s willingness to orchestrate a complex and destructive plot against individuals he interacts with on a daily basis, and what does this reveal about his nature as a villain in the play?

Introduction to Dumpster Driving

            On Dumpster Diving is simply a small piece of Lars Eighner’s memorial called Travels with Lizbeth: Three Years on the Road and on the Streets. Published in 1993, On Dumpster Diving is based on Eighner’s own personal experiences of being homeless and surviving out of a dumpster. The first few lines of the essay itself are enough to capture the interest of the reader since majority of the people have remotely heard of the word ‘dumpster diving’ or ‘scavenging’ before. In this essay, Eighner gives the reader a detailed overview of how to survive simply on a dumpster. As one reads through the essay, he or she is forced to ask themselves whether teaching us these survival rules was the only objective of this essay. However, as the essay as well as the story progresses, one realizes the actual message and concept behind Eighner’s essay. Eighner’s essay explains and elaborates the wasteful and the selfish nature of the vast population living in America. Through this essay, Eighner tries to deliver a very important message to his readers – the immorality and the selfishness involved in throwing out food that can be used by the wealthy and the rich when thousands of people living in America are suffering from poverty and starvation. According to Eighner, this selfish nature found within the American Society is based upon three different aspects – materialistic values, ignorance and the inability to understand.

Materialism and On Dumpster Diving

            Everyone has met materialistic people at some point in their life. Materialistic individuals always want the best of the best – whether it is the latest car or the most expensive phone. However, even when their demands are met, these individuals are seldom happy. These individuals tend to focus on all those things that they do not own and forget about the latest gadgets that they do possess. According to Eighner, materialistic people are lost, unsure and uncertain of what they actually want in life. In some way or the other, Eighner has tried to deliver a message to his readers that in order to be happy and content, one needs to know exactly what he or she wants from life. Materialistic people are often confused with those who are clever and intelligent and think in a very sentimental way. It is only natural to be smart enough to realize what the things that provide personal benefit are and the others must be left for the benefits of others. There were times when Eighner only collected those things that added value to his life and left the others for the use of the other individuals. Studies and researches have shown that materialistic individuals tend to be more sad and depressed than others. It is true that the twenty first century has brought with itself huge technological advancements. However, such advancements and modernism has made people in secure and now everyone wishes to get the latest product launched in the market – it does not take long for the most valuable asset to become valueless. Eighner has also mentioned the very same point in his essay On Dumpster Diving and states “Almost everything I have now has already been cast at least once, proving that what I own is valueless to someone” (Eighner).

Ignorance and On Dumpster Diving

            Another very selfish and common trait found amongst the American society is ignorance. The reason why people are still dying of poverty and starvation in America is not because the country is not rich enough to support the less fortunate ones, but in fact, the people of the United States are very ignorant. A very common practice shown by the rich people within the American society is that even food that can be used is usually thrown out just because such families have enough money to buy new food. These people do not even stop for a minute to think about the less fortunate ones. They do not put in any effort to change their ignorant attitude to a considerate one. Eighner has also talked about this particular unreasonable and ignorant attitude of the American society. The biggest contributor to this trait are the college students who do not have any sense of responsibility individually as well as when it comes to being a citizen of a country. Eighner’s statement that “Students throw out many good things including food…the item was thrown out of carelessness, ignorance, or wastefulness” is sufficient proof to support the argument that college students in fact contribute the most to make poverty in America even worse. Scavengers like Eighner can get hold of many different and valuable goods in the dumpsters such as “boom boxes, candles, bedding, toilet paper, medicine, books, a typewriter, a virgin male love doll, change sometimes amounting to many dollars” (Eighner). The point that Eighner is trying to make over here is that despite knowing the fact that people are indeed poor and suffering and even dying due to starvation, the wealthy and rich are extremely unreasonable and inhuman.

Work, Responsibility and On Dumpster Diving

The rich claim that they have gathered this amount of wealth through their own hard work and responsibility. However, when people have more than what they need, they are socially responsible to help the less unfortunate ones as well. Unfortunately, more than 60 percent of the American society lacks such sort of understanding. It is not wrong to think about your own family’s future before thinking about the future of other families; however, if you are financially strong enough to help the poor and the needy, then you are socially obliged to do so. If such an understanding is somehow drilled into the minds of the rich and the wealthy, the problem of poverty within America can eventually be solved.

Conclusion

Even though On Dumpster Diving is an individual’s personal story of being homeless and surviving on dumpsters, it does represent thousands of poor and needy people within the American Society. People surviving on dumpsters are similar to the rich and wealthy in one aspect – they both can get whatever they like. However, money does not stand in the way of only one of them. If only the rich and the wealthy can be a little considerate, the problem of poverty within America can be easily solved. Poverty and death toll due to starvation in America has increased over the years because the people of this nation are ignorant, materialistic and do not have the ability to understand their social responsibilities.

Works Cited

1. Eighner, Lars. “On Dumpster Diving.” Readings: An Anthology. Ed. Santi V. Buscemi and Charlotte Smith. 9th ed. Boston: McGraw, 2004. 161-173. Print.

Introduction to Theme of Blindness in Oedipus

The play Oedipus the King opens with the people supplicating before the palace of King Oedipus due to the plague, which was ruining the city, showing the theme of blindness in Oedipus. The story of the search which started with Oedipus to find out the culprit who killed the previous king Laius unraveled several mysteries for him in that he left this and started looking for his own parents which culminated in a circuitous way finding himself as the culprit. His journey for the search of the murdered took a full circle and he came to the place from where he started. In a way, this play is a search for the self that Oedipus finds in himself after having full circle but has been blind to this until he does not start this search. The play, in fact, shows that the blinders are seers while the seers are blind to the realities. Not only Oedipus is blind spiritually and physically, but Chorus is also blind to the realities of life staring in their faces, adding to further to the theme of blindness in Oedipus.

Blindness of Tiresias and Theme of Blindness in Oedipus

 Although Tiresias is a blind old man, he is a seer of what is hidden from others. It means, metaphorically, all others are blind to his prophecies. When Oedipus calls for him to interpret the predictions of Oracle brought by Creon, his brother-in-law, he asks Tiresias to tell him the truth. However, when Tiresias does not say what he wants, he calls him a blind old man who cannot see the truth at which Tiresias states “You blame my temper, / but do not see the one which lives within you” (Sophocles 401-402). He is referring to his blindness in a way that he does not see that he has killed his father and married his mother. He also does not see that he is father of his own sisters and daughters. In this sense, Oedipus is blind. Tiresias tells him that he should not accuse him of blindness as he himself is a blind one.

Real Blindness of Oedipus

Secondly, Oedipus becomes blind at the end when he comes to know that he has committed all from which he was escaping. He not only killed his father but also married his own mother. He came to know when he called for the shepherd of Jocasta who gave him to the shepherd of Corinth. Then he ran to the palace to find that Jocasta has killed herself in desperation. He could not brook this anymore and gouged out his own eyes with the brooches. When Chorus taunts him for blinding himself, he states “Though I am blind, I know that voice so well” (1578).

Blindness of Chorus and Blindness of Oedipus

Chorus is also blind though not physically but symbolically. The chorus represents the elders or common people of that time. The commoners were mostly unaware of the state of affairs as the tragedy was mostly concerned with the life of the characters having stature, grandeur, and honor. However, here Chorus does not know anything about what is happening and in a sense is blind to what is before him. Chorus states “I want to ask you many things—there’s much / I wish to learn” (1308)– a hint that Chorus does not know anything about anything and is virtually blind to the realities to be faced by Oedipus. This could be a symbolic blindness in Oedipus.

Conclusion

Concluding the argument, it could be said that there are two types of blindness; one of the general eyesight and the other of the inner eye. Oedipus is blind in both ways when he accuses Tiresias of blindness, who is physically blind but inwardly he could see destiny. Similarly, as a representative of commoners, the Chorus is also blind to the events happening to Oedipus. Therefore, there are three blinds; Chorus, Oedipus, and Tiresias but Oedipus is blind in two days.

Works Cited

Sophocles. “Oedipus The King”. Trans. Ian Johnston. n. d. Web. 15 Sep. 2014. < https://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/sophocles/oedipustheking.htm>

Relevant Questions

1. How does the physical blindness of Oedipus at the end of the play symbolize the Theme of Blindness in Oedipus the King?
2. How do characters like Tiresias and Jocasta, who exhibit metaphorical blindness, contribute to the exploration of the Theme of Blindness in Oedipus the King?
3. In what ways does the theme of familial blindness, where generations of characters fail to see their roles in their tragic destinies, emphasize the Theme of Blindness in Oedipus the King?

Introduction to Oedipus Controversies

Only one play that won great criticism, admiration, appraisal, and interpretation is none other than Oedipus creating Oedipus controversies. It still is the center point of criticism, attention, and wonder. Greek drama was a regular ritual of the annual Greek festival presented in honor of Dionysus at Delphi. The plays presented over there not only set the stage for enlightenment but also put questions before the audience about morality, the political situation and the role of the political authority, the role of the public, and above all the education of the community in terms of morality and politics. Although by making King Oedipus the model of his critique of the Greek tragedy and setting canons for the tragedy, Aristotle has also questioned its structure. However, leaving aside structure it was the actual presentation of the hero as a great sufferer and educator in terms of presenting himself for punishment, which makes the society and the public at large aware of the role of the authority and the role of the public. The people are getting aware of “because we thought of you as God” (Sophocles 35) that they look upon Oedipus, and he in turn, tries to console them by saying “My spirit groans for city and myself and you at once” which highlights the role of the authority. However, it is interesting that Oedipus controversies are intertwined.

Oedipus Controversies and Aristotle

However, as it was also the foray of Aristotle that Greeks held the passions of pity and fear very high, moralizing, educating, and civilizing, the objective of Oedipus was to teach these passions. Hence, the Sophoclean objective of teaching these passions seems to be fulfilled through Oedipus controversies. In this connection, Alford has stated that it was the strategy of the Greek tragic poets to teach these finer feelings, considering them enlightenment of the society on moral and political fronts as pointed out earlier. He said that the “Poet’s strategy is to unleash pity and compassion as civilizing forces in such a way as to educate these powerful passion, so that they will not be dangerous” (Alford 1993 262). This clearly shows that pity and fear were both central emotions of the Greek tragedies and the objective was to put these emotions in such a perspective before the public that they would learn them. However, on the political front, their objective was to prepare the youth for battles. However, it was more of the poet than that of the philosophers, the reason that Aristotle is not considered as democratic as Sophocles as Alford has also pointed out at another place that they intended to share these sentiments among the general public and so helped in spreading democracy among the general public.

Hero and Oedipus Controversies

The tragedy of Oedipus still seems to be relevant in that it still presents the themes of victory and failure of a hero and a king who is more than a democratic person, rational and loving. The theme of the polemics that it raised over the role of religion and gods in the destruction of an individual have been highlighted so much so that they have given birth to an atheistic section (Rocco 1997). Although actually it was the universal appeal that was intended at that time though now it is read for enlightenment not only about that civilization but also about edification and dialectic in this modern age.

Oedipus Controversies: Pity and Fear

Despite presenting the finer feelings of pity and fear, Oedipus Rex raises a debate over whether he was responsible for his own downfall due to some of his tragic flaws, or whether fate acted against him or was it the wrath of Gods that led to his fall. There is still a raging controversy in literary circles among which some are of the opinion that it was his excessive pride in his knowledge and problem-solving approach that led to his downfall when he made a wrong decision about the investigation. The pride was given to Oedipus by the people, who even when they were stricken with pestilence, were saying “Once you have brought us luck with happy omen, be no less now in fortune” (Sophocles 60-61) that he considers as his right that he has resolved that riddle of the Sphinx when he opens up saying “Oedipus whom all men call the Great” (6) that he takes pride over it. However, it is also that he is biologically destined to do so as he has been fated by the Oracle of Delphi that he would kill his father and marry his own mother. However, there is also a question of when he was predicted to do so, he should have tried to find out his biological parents instead of fleeing to Delphi, but again it was his fate that he was destined to do so. However, new studies have questioned this as Havi Hannah Carel has quoted Segal in order to refute the charges that Oedipus has any tragic flaw that Aristotle has deduced as he states that “From an honest and respected leader determined to find the cause of the plague, Oedipus is transformed into a criminal, an incestuous murder, blind to the identity of his mother and father” (Carel). This rather leads to more Oedipus controversies. His opinion is that whatever Aristotle has said about Oedipus, this is totally against modern rationality does not support this. He is of the opinion that even if he was destined to act like this or his forefathers were cursed, it was not his fault. Even if he is accused of taking pride, “there is no causal link between this behavior and his horrific predicament” (Carel) which he is highlighted and interpreted in so many ways.

However, as far as the Aristotelian criterion is concerned, Oedipus controversies meet his requirements of a towering personality who commits wrong against his own family and thus evokes the finer and educating feelings of pity and fear. Hence, he meets his requirements as he outlined in his Poetics and stated by Marjorie in support of Aristotle that it was only Oedipus that have could achieve such a status of arousing pity and fear but “fails to attain happiness, and fails in such a way that his career excites, not blame, but fear and pity in the highest degree” (Barstow).

Oedipus Controversies: Paradox of Blindness and Knowledge

However, as far as the paradox of blindness and knowledge is concerned, it is clear from the tussle that between Oedipus and Tiresias who is seeing the future of Oedipus but does not utter a single word, but Oedipus is not seeing and is speaking a lot. This tension and conflict takes Tiresias to the point where he feels compelled to speak the truth and show the knowledge of what he has told it clearly “blindness for sight and beggary for riches his exchange” (Sophocles 531) when he tells him that he is a blind and nothing else. However, the impact of his role in the making of the play and demonstrating knowledge and ignorance is very important despite having in contradiction with the general public which says “One man may pass another in wisdom, but I would never agree with those that find fault with the king” (583-585) thinking that only the King holds the greatest wisdom. It was because he had already resolved the riddle of Sphinx and Thebans thought only Oedipus could pull them out of this crisis of pestilence and he did but in a very different sense.  However, one thing is quite intriguing Tiresias gets provoked which is quite unusual to his character elsewhere in literature. However, it has not been much debated upon as he only highlights and accentuates ignorance of Oedipus as his character is a “discrepancy between two types of knowledge – knowledge of the world versus knowledge of the self – is usually treated in connection with” (Roisman) the name of Oedipus and other with Tiresias who holds a great place in Sophocles’ Oedipus.

Oedipus Controversies: Towering Persona

However, the knowledge that has made a person like Oedipus arrogant, is the ability to resolve and seek things and resolutions where none is seen. Sphinx’s role in making Oedipus an arrogant king is very important. It is because it is the Sphinx that makes him resolve the riddle that it puts before Oedipus. It used to put the same riddle before every Theban and has proved for them an old pestilence that has taken its toll. However, it has made him arrogant, haughty, and knowledgeable as he himself says “When the dark singer, the Sphinx, was in your country, did you speak a word of deliverance to its citizens?”(Sophocles 452-455). This clearly shows that Oedipus is chiding Tiresias to make him things clear that he has a lot of knowledge of things that he has not. He also gets provoked and taunts him saying “You, have your eyes but see not where you are” (485). But it is the whole work of that singer or whatever they call, the Sphinx, and that riddle that it put before Oedipus that made Oedipus disrespect the blind seer and be cursed, leading to Oedipus controversies. Hence, its role gets prominence among the roles of things apart from human beings.

Oedipus Controversies: Religion

However, in the midst of these things and riddles, gods stans tall, because Zeus had has a central place in the Greek religion and this play rather created a hot debate on the role of gods and destiny and gods and fate. It also raised questions whether gods and destiny or gods and fate are the same things or different ones. The entire moral structure or religion gave way in front of controversies that were raised by this play and the issues it raised. The blasphemy committed by Jocasta “So Apollo failed to fulfill his oracle to the son” (824) adding that “So clear in this case were the oracles, so clear and false” (831-832) that even Oedipus has to say to her that “I could run mad” (838). That is why immediately after that Chorus reflects on their blasphemous remarks about gods and their prophesies and it states that destiny should find it pious to not to oppose those divine laws but it is Apollo that works in that direction that Oedipus is to be destroyed through his destiny that he communicates through “oracles which require a human response for their fulfillment and immanently through such external events as the confidence of the Corinthian’s arrival” (Lawrence).

Oedipus Controversies: Modern Interpretations

However, it is quite another thing that the modern period has interpreted Oedipus and his myth quite differently specifically Sigmund Freud who has put it into a psychological perspective calling his unconscious marriage to his mother as Oedipal Complex, though there is some truth behind it too. However, there does not seem to be any trace of this in the play, except that Jocasta urges him for blasphemy against gods and he also takes part in that. However, except this, there is nothing of as Oedipal Complex in the whole play as there is no mention of any genital and explicit sexual terms that Sigmund Freud used in his paper. In a nutshell, there are as many interpretations of this classic as its translations and even translations differ on the translation of several terms and words. Even its criticism in poetics is no less controversial. Therefore, there is nothing definite about what this classical masterpiece has given rise to as it is still being interpreted as a great source of knowledge.

Works Cited

1. Alford, Fred. “Greek Tragedy and Civilization: The Cultivation of Pity.” Political Research Quarterly 46.2 (1993): 262-264.
2. Barstow, Marjorie. “Oedipus Rex as the Ideal Tragic Hero of Aristotle.” Classics Weekly 6 (1912): 3-4.
3. Carel, Havi Hannah. “Moran and Epistemeic Ambiguity in Oedipus Rex.” 2006. 24 November 2014 <http://www.janushead.org/9-1/carel.pdf.>.
4. Lawrence, Stuart. “Appollo and His Purpose in Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus.” n.d. 24 November 2014 <www.ut.ee/klassik/sht/2008/lawrence1.pdf>.
5. Rocco, Christopher. “Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannos .” Rocco, Christopher. Tragedy and Enlightenment. Los Angeles: Univeristy of California, 1997. 220.
6. Roisman, Hanna M. “Teiresias, the seer of Oedipus the King: Sophocles’ And Seneca’s Versions.” Leeds International Classic Studies (2003): 1-9.

Relevant Questions Oedipus Controversies: Aristotle and Freud

1. How do Aristotle’s and Freud’s interpretations of the Oedipus controversies differ, and what insights do their respective theories offer into the complex dynamics of human behavior and family relationships?
2. In the context of modern psychology and literature, how have contemporary scholars and theorists reexamined the Oedipus controversies, and what new perspectives and interpretations have emerged regarding Oedipus complex and its relevance in understanding human psyche and literature?
3. Can the Oedipus controversies be seen as a timeless theme that transcends historical and cultural boundaries, and how do modern adaptations and interpretations of the Oedipus narrative shed light on evolving societal norms and taboos related to familial and sexual relationships?

Introduction to “The Brown Wasps”

        In his essay, “The Brown Wasps”, Loren Eiseley has shown a myriad features of life, which if explored in depth, demonstrate something hidden in the deep recesses of the psyche of living things. These could be desires for food, a refuge from looming threats, or mind-jolting memories of the past. He has beautifully compared and contrasted human life with that of brown wasps, of field mice, and pigeons, concluding that certain features are common in the lives of human beings and animals, for they are rooted in their respective natures. The mortality demands that all living things should strive for comfort and for illusions to cling to having a sense of protection and for prodding of the memories of the past, Eisely argues. However, the world changes fast from the present to the past and welcomes the future. Amid this change and cacophony of transformative voices, life continues to live by the ruins of the past, trying to mold itself to the changes of the future. This essay argues that living things do not leave their comfort zones, their memories of the past and their illusions to live by even if there is no hope.

“The Brown Wasps” and Nature of Animals

        Every living thing passes a certain time of its life at a certain place that becomes its home. It is the same with animals, insects, and human beings. They never leave this comfort zone even with impending doom. Loren Eiseley has cited examples of wasps that are not ready to leave their hive despite freezing temperatures and the risk of being dropped “away into the white oblivion of the snow” (Eiseley pr. 1). It is the same case with human beings. The officer shoves away the old man from the station, but he never leaves and comes again. It is his comfort zone or home. The field mouse, he says, is not ready to leave the room of the author, for it has been living at that place, which Eiseley says, matters the most. Eiseley argues, “It is the place that matters, the place at the heart of the things” (6). The same is the case of pigeons that have been living at the station, a home for them. Therefore, they are not ready to leave it. Even, we, as human beings, do not become ready to leave the comforts of our homes until there is a dire need to do so.

“The Brown Wasps” and Memories

        Another feature of human beings and living things is to be attached to memories. It is surprising that memories work for human beings as well as animals. It is the nostalgia that makes a person or an animal feel a need for the past event or home. For example, Eiseley argues that “We cling to a time and place because without them man is lost, “for he has known that he is referring wasps, slugs, mice and pigeons too and that they are also part of this journey of life (pr. 7). The wasps cannot go anywhere, for it is snowing and it is the only place they know. The field mouse sees that the place is taken over. Therefore, it leaves to take refuge in the author’s room but does not leave the place, for “It was the only place he knew” (pr. 11). The arrival of the pigeon again on the railway station, when it witnesses ruination, is a “curious instance of the memory of living things” (pr. 18). And above all, Eiseley himself returns to his old home to see the tree for his and his father’s memories. Therefore, the memories and nostalgia of the past is the mainstay of the mortal life on this earth, which provides an impetus to live by. The same is the cause with other human beings too. It is because a person always gives importance to his memories. He keeps in his mind where he has passed his life. This association with memories and nostalgia about the past makes him revert to his past again and again like animals.

“The Brown Wasps” and Dreams

           Illusions and fantasies play an important role in making a person continue living with the hope of finding them one day exactly like he lives by his dreams. If there are no illusions and no fantasies, a person becomes disillusioned and desperate. Life does not look worth living. These are dreams to live one’s life sticking to them for his entire life. Eiseley argues in “The Brown Wasps”, in the case of a field mouse, these are invisible dreams which come to use in every other shape (pr. 15). He says these dreams are necessary to live peacefully and hopefully in this world. The pigeons return after a few days with the illusion that the river would have flown after a “momentary drought” (pr. 17). In the same way, about the blind man, he says that he continues sitting over there in hopes that all will be well. The writer himself continues harboring the same illusion for the cottonwood sapling he and his father watered when he was a boy. He comments that “Life disappears or modifies its appearances so fast that everything takes on an aspect of illusion” that is to fade quickly (pr. 9). Sampling, in his mind, is a “part of [his] orientation” without which he could not have survived (pr. 23). This has been an illusion for him. He has passed his entire life for it. These illusions make up almost half of the life of human beings.

Conclusion

          Loren Eiseley has beautifully summed up the role of the comfort zone, memories, and illusion in the life of living things in “The Brown Wasps”. However, he has created a little distinction in that the animal world only sees comfort and food, but human beings have unique feelings of nostalgia that drive them madly in love with their past. His visit to his former home, around 2,000 kilometers away, just to see that tree is part of the same nostalgic feelings he had had for his father and that place. Maybe the pigeons have the same feelings, the reason they return, but it is not proven. In fact, he is of the view that time passes quickly, but living things continue living with memories, with the love of the place they get food from and the memory of that loving place. It is how life continues on this earth.

Works Cited

Leiseley, Loren. “The Brown Wasps.” The Naturalist. n. d. Web. 05 Aug. 2016.

Introduction to Survival in Maus

The name of first chapter of the novel shows the theme of survival in Maus through its title “Mouse Hole”, which gives an impression that the characters are trapped like mice in the holes, which was exactly what happened to Valdek in that village. The scene described in these pages is that of the escape of the hero, Valdek, who is a courageous man, making efforts for his family’s survival from the Nazis, who are on the lookout for the Jews to exterminate them. The scene takes place in a ghetto, where they all have been imprisoned to be segregated. Anja, the wife of Valdek is hysterical before they leave this place. These comics show how they leave this ghetto to Sosnowiec, presenting theme of survival in Maus.

Escape of Valdek is Survival in Maus

This page gives a full picture of the escape of Valdek for his survival in Maus. All the panels on this page are arranged in a sequence except the first two where the first one is a bit smaller than the second one, which is a bit larger than all of the rest. Almost all the panels have borders, separated with a gutter, and descriptions in captions given with some as in the case of first five where the dialogue is clear “Anja and I did not have where to go.” The dialogues are clearly given in the speech bubbles as in the sixth panel “It was nowhere we had to hide.” However, there is no tier as it is on some other pages in the novel. The captions are very short as supposed to be to give voice to what Valdek says in this episode.

Images of Survival in Maus

As far as the images are concerned, the characters are the same Valdek and his wife, Art himself and Miloch, while Art’s father appears in the last penal, showing theme of survival in Maus. They are also engaged in survival from this ghetto. They are trying to find a way out. The images resemble the characters throughout the novel. However, the Nazi symbol given in the second last panel, shows that wherever they may go, everything is under the feet of the Nazis who are constantly in search of them.

Narrative of Survival in Maus

As far as narrative elements are concerned, first page tells a story of a desperate escape. The context of this story is that the Nazis are bringing all the Jews to Auschwitz to put them into gas chambers. This is the village of Srodula where the ghetto is located. Valdek along with his wife and fifteen others are imprisoned over there. Some have been killed in their attempt to flee this prison. Pesach tells the other members that they have bribed guards to flee, but that is not easy. This page opens with Valdek saying that they are only a handful, and there are no guards, but they need to leave it. Therefore, they would have to arrange clothes and IDs for them to escape. Miloch meets them on the way to where Valdek leaves a letter to fix the next meeting place. It also shows that one of them, Avram and his wife, were deceived, when their money was finished, while Valdek and his wife Anja did not find any place to go.

Dialogue and Survival in Maus

The dialogues in this narrative are beautiful and tell the whole story, while the rest is done by the captions which fill the gaps. The dialogues are not only short and crispy but also full of meaning. They show that they are desperate in search of some safe place, some shelter but they find nothing to go. Specifically, the situation of Avram and his wife tells us that even friends cannot be trusted. The second last image shows the image of the Gestapo police of the Nazis, which shows how they were spread in all directions to hunt for the Jews. This is a symbol of cruelty and barbarism. The overall theme of this page is escape from oppression and barbarism which is amply clear from the dialogues.

Conclusion

In short, the page shows a full picture of the cruelty committed against the Jews in Auschwitz, showing their survival in Maus at stake. It shows how they are hunted down by the Nazis in their own villages. The images of the characters in animal faces, the dialogues, and the symbols create a powerful impact on the readers and the audiences about the barbarism committed against the Jews during the Holocaust. Captions also contribute to this acute sense of oppression the Jews had to go through these troubling times.

Works Cited

1. Hutcheon, Linda. A Poetics of Postmodernism: History, Theory and Fiction. New York, Routledge. 1988. Print.
2. Spiegelman, Art. Maus. New York: Penguin, 2001. Print.

Relevant Questions about Survival in Maus by Art Spiegelman

1. How is the theme of survival in Maus portrayed differently for Vladek and Art Spiegelman, shedding light on their unique perspectives on surviving the Holocaust?
2. What specific survival strategies and coping mechanisms are exemplified in survival in Maus, and how do they shape the characters’ resilience in the face of the Holocaust?
3. In what ways does survival in Maus delve into the emotional and psychological aspects of survival, offering insight into how characters like Vladek and Art navigate the enduring impact of their traumatic experiences?