Immortality

Mortality & Immortality By William Michael Harnet

"The first step to eternal life, is you half to die." - Chuck Palahniuk


Immortality as we know today is something most people would dream of having, something a superhero might have in a comic book. It is a never ending life, as in movies or books you could look the same, and stay the same all the time. Scientists today are trying to find ways to expand the human life. It is said by scientists that we will have the technology in about 30 years to be able to live up to 150 years old. Early discoveries for immortality started around the 1500's.

Some ways to help with making a more long lasting and satisfying life would be to exercise often, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, do not smoke or drink any alcohol. Smoking increases the risk of cancer and drinking can kill you from alcohol poisoning.

Tragic man

1. He believes what he is doing in his life is right, for saying sleeping with Jocasta and how he killed those people at the intersection.

2. He thinks he is the ultimate ruler and that no one can stop him. He doesn't believe that there are gods and that he is number one.

3. He is very motivated in his right and the things he does is the right thing to becoming a more successful leader for when he sent the messenger for a cure for the plague.

4. When he finds out that he killed his father and slept with his mother, he doesn't want to believe it and tries to find the Shepard who was supposed to kill him as a baby.

5. He finally figures out what he is hearing is right and that he realizes what he has done is wrong and can't except the consequences so he scratches his eyes out and Jocasta hangs herself.

6. The impact this has is mostly for the town because the plague will vanish and that they will have a more aware king

Dispair

What is the meaning of "Despair" and how does this theme manifest itself in both plays?

Definition of Despair: to give up or to lose hope. a time of despair in Oedipus would be the time when the townspeople come to Oedipus when the plague had come to their town and started killing everyone. They couldn't find a cure, or a way to escape and simply did not know what to do so they went for Oedipus for him to find a cure. Jocasta explains to Oedipus that the oracle was given to her when they had their first child, they gave the child to a Shepard to have the baby killed but the Shepard felt bad and didn't kill him so he let the baby go without Laius or Jocasta knowing. After Oedipus hears all of this he is simply astonished and makes himself blind because he cannot bear that he had killed his real father and slept with his mother.
In Antigone she believes she should die for what is right. It was a harsh battle between her brothers, one trying to control it, and the other simply defending it. The two brothers die from their hands and King Creon sets up a proper burial for the brother Etecoles who was trying to defend it and tells everyone whoever trys to bury Polynices would be punished. Antigone is later caught berrying her brother Polynices and is brought to the king, she explains to the king that she loved both of her brothers and that everyone deserves a proper burial. Haemon, the kings son, falls in love with Antigone telling her father her duties are honorable. This infuriates Creon and tells Haemon that she would be put in a cave and the entrance blocked for her death penalty. Later on a messenger tells Creon that Antigone hung herself and Haemon stabbed himself to death, this puts Creon in despair and guilt.

Ignorance Vs. Guilt - 4th quiz put on test

Q: If a person does not know, is that person still guilty of grievous crime?
A:I don't think that you can be guilty of a crime that you weren't aware of because it seems unlawful and harsh, because i could see how if you were meaning to do it which would be guilt and not knowing of what you are doing are two totally different things.

Q: What would you do if you were on the jury at the Oedipus trial?
A: I would first see if he was ignorant toward the law and if he had any knowing of what he was doing, so knowing that he did know that the law existed, he thought that he has avoided it enough that he wouldn't get in trouble when he first ran away from home. But his other parents who had adopted him never told him that they were his real parents so he really had no clue of who were his real parents. So considering this if he would have known that his adopted parents weren't his real parents he could have avoided the prophecy and breaking the law. To this Oedipus is not a guilty man, because if you think about it, you can only do wrong if you know what is right.

Q: What would you do if you were on the jury in a modern day trial?
A: In regards of today, my opinion wouldn't change, I would get down to the facts and see his background and how he was grown up as a child, because today you can find more ways to prove if you are guilty or not. We have much more accelerated technology so we are able to uncover the truth more, and of Oedipus's trial back then would be a simple case today. Because if you know what is right and what is wrong you shouldn't half to be punished for something you didn't know you couldn't do.

Q: What would cause you to vote one way or another? Values? Beliefs? Evidence? Society Norms? Other information?
A: To change my mind about saying Oedipus is not guilty would be if he actually chose not to know the law I would probably say he's guilty because that is pure ignorant. Because he would know better than to not know about the law than him not really having a change to know about what he had done. The evidence would also put me on a scale because him actually doing what he had done would make me think twice but also knowing he didn't have the knowledge of his wrongs and the Society back then wasn't ask crisp as it is today, usually today you get the education from the news on TV, in the papers and in school. Because back then they really didn't have the technology as we have today. But this is purely my opinion on how I feel about Oedipus and how his trial, I honestly think that he is not a guilty person because he had no awareness of what he was doing was wrong.

Anitgone- Conscientious Objection

What is "conscientious objection"?In what ways does Antigone demonstrate conscientious objection?In your opinion, did she do the right thing? Explain your view in terms of how 21st Century citizens might view her actions.

Conscientious objection is when someone refuses to obey the law of do what most people think is right based on their moral believes and values. Antigone defies the law by burying Polynices whom she believes deserves an honorable and proper burial. I think she did do the right thing in terms of her time period and in terms of today's society. She says that because her and her brother's parents are dead, her brother is someone she can never replace as you could a husband or wife. She uses this to justify her actions, that although her brother may not have been performing honorable acts (going against his brother Eteocles, fighting for Thebes/against Thebes) he was still family and still deserved to be buried properly/justly. The same goes for today's society. Even if someone was considered not honorable or good, they are still family, and if they died, they would not be left forgotten. They would still receive some kind of funeral.

"What law of heaven have I transgressed? What god can save me now? What help or hope have I, in whom devotion is deemed sacrilege?" -Antigone [150, Antigone]

Chapter 21

Odysseus is worried that there are too many suitors for he and Telemachus to overthrow, but is then calmed by Athena who reminds him that the gods will help. Penelope cannot sleep because she is very upset about Odysseus and really doesn’t want to have to remarry, so she asks Artemis to kill her. Odysseus hears her and asks Zeus to send a sign that is good. Zeus sends thunder and a maid nearby gets angry at the suitors. The next day, the suitors meet, and Amphinomus tells them to call of Telemachus’ murder because they all see an eagle with a dove in its talons. This is a sign of doom, they think. Odysseus tries very hard to not lose his temper over the suitors. One of the snobby and wealthy suitors throws a cow’s hoof at Odysseus and Telemachus loses his cool and threatens to kill this man. However, the suitors only laugh. Little do they know of their inescapable doom.

Book 15

Athena warns Telemachus that he must return home soon to prevent the suitors from marrying his mother. She also warns that the suitors are planning to kill him upon his return so she gives him a route that he must take when he returns to Ithica. He must go first to Eumaeus, and he will tell Penelope that her son is home safe. Telemachus prepares to leave immediately after waking up, and his hosts give him great gifts and send he and his men on their way. Before departing, an eagle carrying a goose swoops down near Telemachus. His hostess, Helen, says it is an omen that Odysseus is going to come back and get revenge on the suitors. Meanwhile Telemachus and his men board their ship and sail to Ithica. Upon arriving in Ithica in the morning, Telemachus takes the separate route to Eumaeus just as Athena told him to do, and his men go on up to the city. Before his men depart from Telemachus, however, they all see a hawk carrying a dove in its talons fly by and is said to be Odysseus which gives Telemachus confidence.

Book 14

Odysseus is back in Ithica disguised as a weary, old man. He goes and stays with the swineherder, Eumaeus. Odysseus listens intently to Eumaeus and knows that he is a loyal and trustworthy man, always praising him and watching over him. Eumaeus feeds Odysseus and gives him clothes to keep him warm. Eumaeus says that Odysseus is most likely dead, and Odysseus disagrees saying that he is probably alive and coming home soon. Eumaeus says that he no longer believes this because so many suitors have come to Penelope and asked for gifts in exchange for news of her Odysseus. But all news is a scam, and Penelope is beginning to lose faith that the real Odysseus will ever return home. Odysseus, when asked about how he came to arrive in Ithica, makes up a story about how he fought at Troy with Odysseus and later went to Egypt, but only to end up poor.

Chapter 11

Odysseus is told by Cerces to go awake the dead in Hades. He sails there and digs a hole, takes the ram and poured it's blood into a pit he'd made, be poured milk and honey than wine and water. This would bring spirits for Odysseus, once his wife comes up she tells him how much she misses him and that everything is in order. He also had a chance to talk to his mother. I thought that him talking to his mother also made a big impact. I thought Odysseus is very brave and determined because of his 19 years of trying to get back home. He also trusts the Gods because the whole time his fate was in their hands.

Chapter 10

After the escape they arrive at the home of the ruler of the wind, who gives Odysseus a bag containing the winds that help them get within a stones throw of their homeland. But the crew thinks that Odysseus has a bag of riches and only cares for himself, so thy tear the bag and releases the wind and they are blown back to Aeolus. There they are refused to help Odysseus.

Chapter 9

Odysseus tells the Phaecians of his journeys from the cicones and their plunders, to the lotus-eaters and their intoxicating fruit. After the tails they set sail to the land of the cyclopes. There they find a cave of sheep, milk and cheese. While the crew wants to get out quickly Odysseus decides to stay awhile to see if they can find anything suspicious. Then the cyclopes Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon, returns to his cave home and while humble at first he turns mean and eats two crew members and cages the rest for later. Odysseus devices a plan to get free. He than sharpens a stick, then he gets the cyclopes drunk then he drives the stick into his eye. They escape on the belies of the sheep, and as they set sail Odysseus reveals his name. Later on Polyphemus tells his father what had happened and asks his father to avenge him.

chapter 5

In this chapter a meeting of the gods is held to decide Odysseus' fate. They send Hermes down to tell Calypso to set him free. So she helps fix his boat and gives him rations for his trip and he sets sail. After eighteen days Poseidon sees him and wrecks his boat. Odysseus then has to swim to the nearest island which takes him 3 days, once he reaches land he collapses and falls asleep, thanks to the goddesses Ino and Athena that help rescue him and bring him to land.

Chapter 2

The meeting is the following day. One of the first to speak is the elder of them all, he tells Telemachus that he is not ready to step into his father shoes and that it's too big of a task for him to go on this expedition. He is disappointed how the suitors show no or little respect for his mother Penelope and his father Odysseus. The suitors blame Penelope for seducing them but not committing, Penelope says she will commit when she is completely finished making a shroud. But every night she undoes the hat that she has made to stall the suitors, it is suggested that she is to be taken to her father who is to decide who will marry Penelope. Telemachus is angered by this and calls a goddess, to eagles than come and give him a deciphered as a eminent return of his father. The suitors are not buying it though.

Chapter 1

It is 10 years after the Trojan War, everyone has returned home, everyone but Odysseus. Odysseus is to be on an island with the goddess Calypso, but calypso wont let him go. At Odysseus's house their are a bunch of people called suitors, they are to marry Odysseus's wife Penelope if he is not to return. Odysseus's son Telemachus is told by Athena, the daughter of Zeus, that his father is in danger and needs to banish the suitors from his property. Telemachus goes back home tells his mother to rest and tells the suitors that he is to hold a meeting which they will be banned from his estate.

King Oedipus

The Story starts out is when Oedipus notices people outside his palace and asks what is going on. The townspeople tell him that everyone is dying from a plague. Oedipus says that he will be sure to take care of this plague and sends for an oracle. Creon returns with news to tell everyone, he tells them first about Laius, the former king, was killed by thieves. Next Oedipus meets the blind prophet Tiresias, Tiresias tells Oedipus that he is the cause of the plague and accuses him of killing Laius. Oedipus is furious of hearing this and asks to hear about his parentage, she tells him that he married his mother and killed his father. Oedipus than goes to talk to his wife Jocasta, she tells him that everything is false what Tiresias has told him and that it'll be alright. He asks Jocasta about the murder in detail and it reminded him of an incident where he killed a man at an intersection similar to Laius. He tells her that he could be the killer and when he grew up in as a child in Corinth, a man told him that he wasn't the son of the king. He than went home later on killing a couple of people at a cross road before going to Thebes. Later on a messenger tells Oedipus that his father has died and that he will become the new king. Jocasta is excited but Oedipus is worried because the oracle said he would sleep with his mother, but the messenger said not to worry because they weren't his real parents. This worries Oedipus, so he sets out on a journey to find out who he really is. He than locates a Shepard and questions him, the Shepard than tells him about a baby he saw with his ankles locked together, he felt bad so he brought the baby to Corinth. Jocasta realizes what has happened and tells Oedipus to stop looking for his real parents but he refuses to. Oedipus won't listen to her and he sends someone for the shepheard that Laius first gave the baby to. At first the Shepard refuses to tell him where the baby was from but that he tells Oedipus that his job was to kill the baby because an oracle told him that the babby would grow up and kill his father and sleep with his mother. The messenger tells everyone what has happened, Jocasta locked herself in her room and hung herself and Oedipus begs to be banned from the Thebes. Creon then is asked to take over and take care of Oedipus's daughters.