Sight and Blindness in Oedipus the King Essay - 1048 Words

The Irony of Sight and Knowledge in Oedipus the King People equate ‘seeing’ to gaining knowledge. Expressions such as â€Å"I see† and â€Å"seeing truth† are used to express understanding of something, but is seeing really the same as knowing? In Oedipus the King, Oedipus’s inability to grasp the truth is despite the fact that he is physically able to see contrasts Teiresias’s knowledge of the truth even though he is blind. The irony of the blind man being knowledgeable, and the seer becoming blind to the truth suggests that the idea that knowledge is not related to physical sight. In the beginning of the play, Oedipus is able to see but does not know the truth about who killed Laius. At the conclusion of the play, Oedipus is†¦show more content†¦You can’t hurt me or anyone else who sees the light-you can never touch me.† (10) Here Oedipus is suggesting that Teiresias is inferior to anyone who can see, including himself, and is not a threat to them. Oedipus is wrong because the fact that Oedipus has the advantage of sight over Teiresias is not comparable to the knowledge that Teiresias has. This is yet another example of dramatic irony. It may seem that Oedipus has the advantage over Teiresias because Teiresias is blind, but the knowledge of who Oedipus really is is far more important. A lot of the irony of Oedipus’ blindness also occurs at the end of the play, when Oedipus makes himself physically blind. â€Å"†¦, he digs them down the sockets of his eyes, crying, You, youll see no more the pain I suffered, all the pain I caused! Too long you looked on the ones you never should have seen, blind to the ones you longed to see, to know! Blind from this hour on! Blind in the darkness-blind! (46) At this point, Oedipus is confirming a line said early by Teiresius that â€Å"to see the truth when the truth is only pain to him who sees!† (6). Oedipus is now in exactly the same position that Teiresius was when he mocked him, physically blind but seeing the truth. Teiresius, the blind prophet, happens to be one of the very few people to know who Oedipus really is and what he has done, however he wishes he did notShow MoreRelatedSight And Blindness In Oedipus The King789 Words   |  4 PagesCaleb Cho Ms. Kim English 373H 5-October- 2017 Tension Between â€Å"Sight† and â€Å"Blindness† Essay - Rough Draft Deep in the forest lived a blind man named Carl. Once a week Carl would travel to the nearest city to buy supplies and food. One day, a young boy decided to play a trick on Carl, the boy would catch a bug, and then ask if the bug was alive or dead. If Carl said â€Å"alive† the boy would crush the bug and show Carl the bug was dead. 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And beyond, when the truth is too terrible, do we choose not to see? The phrase too see has so very many connotations. One meaning is to know or to understand and the other is based on the physical aspects of things. As humans, we are distracted by the physical world, which causes usRead More Blindness, Sight and Eyes in Sophocles Oedipus The King Essay682 Words   |  3 PagesThe Deeper Meaning of Sight and Eyes in Sophocles Oedipus The King In Sophocles play, Oedipus The King, the continuous references to eyes and sight possess a much deeper meaning than the literal message. These allusions are united with several basic underlying themes. The story contains common Ancient Greek philosophies, including those of Plato and Parmenides, which are often discussed and explained during such references. A third notion is the punishment of those who violate the law ofRead More Oedipus the King by Sopohocles Essay1567 Words   |  7 PagesOedipus the King by Sopohocles Works Cited Not Included Throughout the play, Oedipus the King, Sophocles refers to site and blindness to relate attitudes and knowledge of the past. The irony of sight in this play can be marked by Oedipus’ inability to realize that which is evident to the reader. His extreme pride is his tragic flaw. It blinds him from the truth. Oedipus blinding himself symbolizes his increase of knowledge, his sensitivity, and gives him the ability to finally see. HeRead MorePeople tend to be blinded by the truth at times. Usually, the solution to their question is right800 Words   |  4 PagesThey are able to â€Å"see† into the future. Though they don’t have physical sight, they still have another type of vision. In the play Sophocles’ King Oedipus, Teiresias, the blind prophet, told King Oedipus and Queen Jocasta the truth. Oedipus have been blinded his whole life about the truth and when he finally realizes the truth, he physically blinds himself. Jocasta, as well was blinded by the real identity of her son/husband Oedipus and still when she found out the truth, she refused to accept it. InRead MoreReview Of Oedipus The King 1394 Words   |  6 PagesMotif in Oedipus the King Sophocles’ writing style in the play, Oedipus the King, offers incredible insight into the ways that authors utilize recurring symbols to create motif in their plays and writings. This particular play uses a blend of irony, wit, and metaphor to create a literary motif. Sophocles explores the literal aspects of sight and blindness, in the form of knowledge and oblivion. Through recurring symbols of sight and blindness, both literal and metaphorical, Sophocles creates a motifRead MoreOedipus Rex Is A Greek Tragedy Written By Sophocles1177 Words   |  5 PagesOedipus Rex is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles. Sophocles, through writing this work along with Antigone and Oedipus at Colonus, became a legendary tragedian, and went off to produce several other works. This classic tragedy held great influence over Aristotle’s six components in his work, the Poetics, more specifically, over the component of plot and character. The birth of Oedipus Rex since spurred countless famous interpretations, including ones by the father of psychoanalysis himself, SigmundRead MoreWho s Really Blind?868 Words   |  4 Pages Who’s Really Blind? In the tragic story â€Å"Oedipus the King†, Sophocles emphasizes on the idea of sight and blindness. Sight or blindness can have more than just physical characteristics; a person can have mental insight or can ensue blindness in a situation. The blindness issue remains an effective contrasting method for Oedipus at many points in the drama. It breaks down into two components: Oedipus s ability to physically see and his willingness to see the truth in what has transpired. EvenRead MoreThe True Vision of Blindness in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles Essay959 Words   |  4 Pagesthey are blind to it. In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles it is easy to see how blindness affects the transition of the story. It is said that blind people see â€Å"in a different manner† because they sense the world in a totally diferent way, such as Teiresias in the play. Oedipus Rex is a tragedy due to the content the Sophocles, the playwright, decided to include, first, murdering his father, king Laius, t hen marrying his mother, Jocasta, and ending by blinding himself. Oedipus has been blinded to the truth

I Stand Here Ironing Essay Example For Students

I Stand Here Ironing Essay I Stand Here Ironing: The short story by Tillie Olsen, I Stand HereIroning, is an example of a mother daughter struggle. From what I understand,the young mother initially has a rough life, and can barely keep track ofherself and her daugher, Emily. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-Category:book reportsPaper Title:I Stand Here IroningText:The short story by Tillie Olsen, I Stand Here Ironing, is an example of amother daughter struggle. From what I understand, the young mother initially hasa rough life, and can barely keep track of herself and her daugher, Emily. Because the mother must work to support them, she always put Emily into otherpeoples care, and even had to send her away for several different periods. This caused the distance between the mother and Emily to become greater, even tothe point that Emily does not like physical affection such as hugs from hermother. The mother loves her daughter greatly, but she does not have the meansof providing for her child as she would like to. As there are other children andhusbands added to the family, Emily seems to move farther from them all. As Emily grows older, the mother is regretful of the way Emily has grown up. The mother says, We were poor and could not afford for her the soil of easygrowth (pg 29). The mother criticizes and blames herself for this, causingtension in their already stressful relationship. The mother is obviouslysuffering from guilt and wretched memories of Emily suffering. Emily, too, issuffering. We see her stiffness towards all that care for her, her quietness inher daily duities, and her feelings of worthlessness towards herself. She feelsthat she is extremely ugly and stupid, and constantly compares herself to heradorable younger sister, Susan, who has the perfect Shirley Temple image. This is why, in the beginning of the story, someone who cares about Emily, isasking her mother how he/she can help Emily. And, as the mother stands thereironing, she contemplates her daughter and the troubles that they have. Theconstant motion of the ironing is like a sedative to the mother, as it calms hergreatly. Because ironing is such a monotonous job, the mother has time to thinkher disturbing thoughts. Thus, the theme of coming to terms with and overcomingthe past hardships emerges. Personally, I have a hard time relating to the whole story. I can understand,but I cant really internalize them. I suppose that it just is an example of abasic dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship. The story does a good job ofshowing a mothers anguish over her daughter, and a depressed teenager who isstruggling to overcome her unhappy childhood. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-