Can you feel the tradegy tonight?

"According to critic Northrop Frye,'Tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them, great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divine lightening.' Select a novel or play in which a tragic figure functions as an instrument of the suffering of others. Then write an essay in which you explain how the suffering brought upon others by that figure contributes to the tragic vision of the work as a whole. Avoid plot summary."Be careful to respond to the prompt--that of tragic vision-- and not just the quotation. You should focus your answer not on Othello, but those effected by his actions and why they are so. What is it in their respective characters that make them part of the tragic vision? Make sure you define in your thesis statement what the tragic vision of this play entails.

In the story of "The Lion King" Mufasa is the great on who conducts the tragedy for all those who surround him. Though Lion King is not a tragic tale in its full span because of Simba's triumph in the predicable Disney ending, Mufasa creates a tragic vision when he falls for the mind game Scar lures him with. Mufasa creates tragedy for all who surround him. His Pride suffers, the land suffers and his son and wife suffer. This mirrors Iago and Othello's story. Othello has a character that is genuine and trusting and Iago knows this. Iago doesn't have to work very hard to trick Othello into thinking Desdemona is unfaithful and his actions as the mighty "conductor" take a ripple effect on the people around him. The tragic vision is complete because not only is the life of the tragic hero tainted but those closest to them will fall also. Had Othello not been tricked Cassio would have never been suspect in his jealous mind and neither would Desdemona. Iago acts as the lightening in the tragic storm much as Scar. These two villans create continuous turmoil for those they envy, and they are masters at it. Their roles in the conception of the tragic vision is essential because they play so many people at once. The hyena's, the lionesses of the pride, Simba have this unconditional trust in Scar much like Othello, Cassio, Desdemona and Roderigo have for Iago. The entire lengths of the stories you want to scream at the characters "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING! RAAAAWR! I PRITHEE THINK BEFORE YOU ARE OVERCOME WITH THIS PESTILENCE!" Ha..speaking in any sort of language they will understand. This tragic trust, These masters of deception and brain washing, The infallible effectiveness of these perfect leaders, the love for their communities, The fall of these leaders and the butterfly effect it causes: All of these things mix together to create a tragic vision.

"Yes snickered the devil, but i have all the umpires!"

TO be born innately evil? well that would suck. I have to say from my years of baby-sitting, i am sure that some babies are born evil.
Ha.
But on a serious note, i think to define good and evil is dangerous territory. Who is to say what is good, or what is evil? God?
Whose god? What makes a Christian's God more moral or good than a pagans? Sure there are things that seem completely immoral, but if I had grown up in a radically patriarchal society, I cannot be sure that I would think that for a man to beat or rape his wife as punishment was wrong? If things are truly "evil" or immoral that that would mean that mankind was born with gages for it and therefore... born "good"? There is no way to be sure with out completely removing all outside influences. All humans are born knowing is what makes them happy, and what makes them feel pain, and from that stems morals: good and evil.I know what is "right" and what is "wrong" because of what I am taught, and it makes me passionate about it. The morality is ingrained in me, but I wasn't born that way, no one is.

Why is love so complex? Gee, if only i knew. I guess the complexity of love in conceived because of all the different -for lack of a better word- kinds of love. To me it doesn't even make sense to throw all the various "loves" under one title. You have the: "Oh, Fabio, thank-you for killing that vampire for me and squeezing your firm buttox to enticingly while doing so, I love you." Then theres grandparent, 60 year old :
"I love you Mildred Heffelfinger!"
"What?"
" I SAID, I LOVE YOU"
" you have to go poo? AGAIN? Me too... "
You've got the awkward I love yous' exchanged between guy friends that are only to be stated in that one moment where you comrade has pulled you from the psycho ex-girlfriend. The head over heals, can't keep my hands off you newly-wed love. You have the "oh my gawd, don't you just love the shoes?" love. the teenage love : " I love you, lets have sex." The extremities of maternal love... I can't even begin to think of them all. What is love anyways? I guess what all these "loves" have in common, what makes them so complex is that it is one of the few things that doesn't really make sense or fit ino a clear definition. It just is what it is. One can't rationalize or try to understand it. All we can hope to do is some day feel it.
One thing I can say definently is you'll know when it hits you, and then once you define love, clearly for yourself,everything will just get more complicated.

Great. this blog made me cry

It seems kind of ironic to me that this question is posed to me at this perticular time in my life. Here I go on a tirade about to validate every sixteen year old. american whiney,ungreatful, shallow, unregimnted wanna-be, boy crazy,under-educated, naive stero-type EVER but I just got to do it. My apologies to Keating.
Anywho. This is the most difficult time I've ever faced, it seems that everyone around me wants so badly for me to grow up , to be sovereign of my own life.. To do my own laundry for godsakes.
The thing is no one will let me! My best friend in the whole world just moved 572.41 unprocurable miles up the road and after he left it seemed like all the lessons to be learned were dumped on to my plate. I just want to write a letter: " Dear Reality, I don't want to sound rude but the rate at which you are sending me the albatross and responsibility is a little excessive. My UPS man has begin taking speed. I think for all of our sakes you should slow it down.. and send 30$ so support the delivery man's children."
Also I think one of the hardest lessons you have to learn as a teenager is not to be naive about what peoples intentions may be. As teenagers we are geared to believe parents, teachers, cops etc. are our enemies and our cool peers are our friends. Lately however as I am out against the world without that one best friend ( wah wah wah I know)looking around at everyone it's almost barbaric and savage the way we teenagers go after the things we want. And not even just the gratification we desire so eminently but goals that are so fickle or minor. I would dump beans all over the person in front of me in the lunch line to distract them long enough so that I could obtain the last sugar cookie. My mom would sacrifice everything for me. She's even going back to work so we can have enough money for college (even though my gpa blows). I've started to realize that no matter how ducky and affirming it can be to strut with people who will sacrifice anything to achieve what is pleasing at the end of the day my mortifying father with refried beans and ethanol crusted in his mustache really has my best interests at heart.

Don't cha wish your family was hot like mine?Don't cha wish your family was a freak like mine?

bi·zarre /bɪˈzɑr
–adjective-markedly unusual in appearance, style, or general character and often involving incongruous or unexpected elements; outrageously or whimsically strange; odd; bizarre behavior.
Right next to that definition in the dictionary they should post a picture of my batty barmy old family. We are very small and tightly knit -not that our size takes away from the anomalous nature we crave- so the picture would surely fit. Your eyes would drift first to my dad because for some odd reason he always tries so hard to smile in pictures the strangest looks are conceived. Your eyes may wander next to my mom. She is very cute and fat. Her mouth will most likely be opened because she likes to make car noises when she's nervous, and there will be some intricate but seemingly purposeless entwined yarn creation spinning from the cold shiny blue knitting needles that never leave her hands or her heart. My Aunt Faye will be rocking in her chair with a a bowl of beans that she is snapping in her lap.Her mouth will be blury because it never stops moving. Her husband J.D. will be standing next to her grinning ear to ear with his toothless smile holding up his biggest crab catch of the summer. You won't be able to see any of this however because he thinks that the small squirrel humping the bush behind all of us is the camera.My itty bitty memaw , popop and grandma will all behuddled together trying to figure out what is going on. Memaw will me scowling at grandma because once again grandma died her hair fire engine red and this is just not how classy "chichi" southern women should be ( I think that she is secretly very envious.) Me and my brothers will be standing by our my auntie sandra. Dan will be setting the back of memaws hair on fire because due to the mass of hairspray needed to keep up her look, we both know that it won't take long for his alfa romeo watch to catch enough virginia summer sunshine to create a comfortably warm glow, which we are sure will add to the lighting of the picture. Matt and Sandra will be holding pictures of cats up that they printed from the internet and my uncle P will be standing adjacent to them pulling at his crotch with the most unpleasant look on his face because his friend Jack Daniel is snuggling in an irksome position with his best friend Johnson. When the picture has been taken he will groan loudly as he pulls out the largest bottle you have every seen from his marry poppins boxers. Aunt Faye will through her beans at him. J.d. will figure out he was standing the wrong way. Mom will cry "VROOOM" dad will steal pauls bottle gulping maniacly until Paul catches him, memaws hair will catch fire and grandma will need to call a real fire truck. Matt and Sandra will continue dicussing there remarkable talent as cat whisperers and all will be perfect.

duh..

After everything we read and discussed about oedipus rex, fate, predestination, freewill,responsibility and all of that I feel like I'm walking away with more questions than knowledge. Maybe thats part of understanding?
At first I thought Oedipus gave me insight into my dads phrase " Life's hard, then you die baby." Which I suppose the story did momentarily. You can't change your fate... Running from it will create chaos and accepting fate will bring lead one to theres. Secondly, the nature of responsibility is like a security gaurd with a big old nightstick and a beer belly full of resentment. It is not slighty sympathetic, and it doesn't matter what kind of person you are. Every action will have a consequence. You are responsible for even the actions you don't mean to act... If that makes since.
Then along comes Harold crick. He spends his story attempting to change his fate and, following the pattern, the does create chaos. He accepts his fate, the chaos ceases, and he meets his destiny. But - he changed it!!
Or did he?
Was that his fate all along?
Maybe it wasn't and everyone is in control of there own destiny.
So why then does mankind feel the need to have a creator who is all empowering and divine?
Do we want to control our fate, or would we be better off in some gods' hands?
Definently not in the case of Oedipus.
Should we try do act noble, or will and ultimate fate prevail no matter what?
if the ladder is true, than should we just do whatever pleases our own soul? Do we tell ourselves that fate exists to feel better?
Are fate and freewill really incapable of coexistance?
Does any of it really matter?

FATE v.s. FREEWILL round 1,985,736,503,373,738,394......and the winner is?

This prompt is the most unpalatable, eminently exasperating question I think I have dealt with since my mom asked me if I had packed my " goodnites" in front of my entire 4th grade class before our overnight trip to rock eagle. Through out the entire unit all signs seems to point to fate. The only problem is, I come from a long line of porch swinging, bible thumping, PRAISE JESUS, Chesapeake boat builders and preachers. Everything in my background is pointing me to a religious type freewill.
So, here it goes... my stab in the dark.
The question seems to imply that fate and free will cannot coexist, I think that fate cannot exist without freewill, and free will would be irrelevant without an ultimate fate.It seems to me that freewill and the choices that one makes will lead each of us to our fate. It just seems like the fate that you are "given" ( theres the Chesapeake blood)- you have to come to by your own choices. Your fate is what it is:final,unchanging..lalala.. but you choose every step of it because it is tailor made for you.
maybe that doesn't make sense but ... Maybe I just want both.
But let my eat my never ending cake dangit!