Free Will in Oedipus the King Essay -- Sophocles Oedipus Rex Essays

Free Will in Oedipus the King Oedipus the King by Sophocles is the story of a man who was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. The story continues in the tradition of classic Greek plays, which were based upon the Greeks’ beliefs at the time. The ancient Greeks believed that their gods decided what would ultimately happen to each and every person. Since those gods destined Oedipus to kill his father and marry his mother, Oedipus’ life was definitely fated. However, the gods only decided where Oedipus’ life would eventually lead; they never planned the route he would take to get there. All the decisions that Oedipus made in order to fulfill his destiny, and the decisions he made after the fact, were of his own free will, and were largely shaped by his mien. Probably the most relevant examples of the exercise of free will are in the events which lead up to the play and which fulfill Oedipus’ prophecy. When Laius and Jocasta hear of their newborn son’s fate, their first instinct is to kill Baby Oedipus. But they cannot do the deed outright; they instead make the choice to pin his feet together and leave him on a mountainside. This turns out not to be the best choice for them, but at least it was a choice. Perhaps the most barefaced example of free will is in the murder of Laius and his men—not so much the murders themselves but the circumstances surrounding the murders. This is how Oedipus describes the incident to Jocasta: Making my way toward this triple crossroad I began to see a herald, then a brace of colts drawing a wagon, and mounted on the bench†¦a man, just as you’ve described him, coming face-to-face, and the one in the lead and the old man himself were about to thrust me off the road—brute force— a... ...is eyes out and Jocasta would hang herself. The people involved were completely responsible for their actions. Technically, everything that happened in the play was outside the realm of the prophecy since the prophecy was fulfilled before the story even started, so therefore, there is no fate in Oedipus the King! Free will is abound in Oedipus the King; any character who makes a decision of their own accord is a testament to that. Even Oedipus, whose life was fated from the start, made many decisions, ranging from how to fulfill his destiny to how to punish himself after finding out he had indeed murdered his father and married his mother, and most of which were shaped largely by his personality. WORKS CITED Sophocles. â€Å"Oedipus the King.† The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002. 1289-1331.

A Personality Development Theory Applied in Choosing Career Essay

This paper attempts to look at the Big Five, a personality development theory that is used in studying the dimension of one’s personality. The Big Five model is a product of empirical research and at present, the most accepted approach among psychologists in studying personality traits. 1 The five factors are known as OCEAN- openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. 2 It is said that theses possession of these traits may be stable for over 45 years that can start from early adulthood. 3 Parts and portion of traits are also heritable genetically. In addition, the traits are result of adaptation to the environment. Generally, these factors are viewed as universal and have been found in languages of different nations. Knowing where one’s place in the dimension can be very useful for one’s improvement and realization of skills, talents and abilities. The Case Dave has long been dreaming of putting up his own business. After several years of working in the job which he definitely did not like, he finally decided to pursue his dream. At this point in time, Dave was not sure of what enterprise will best fit his personality. Applying the Big Five Personality Development Theory, we carefully examine Dave’s personality in order to see what are his dominant traits and characteristics, his weaknesses and   1Buss, D. M. (1996). Social adaptation and five major factors of personality. In J. S. Wiggins (Ed. ), The five-factor model of personality: Theoretical perspectives (pp. 180-207). New York: 2Guilford. Soldz, S. , & Vaillant, G. E. (1999). The Big Five personality traits and the life course: A 45-year longitudinal study. Journal of Research in Personality, 33, 208-232 3Buss, D. M. (1996). Social adaptation and five major factors of personality. In J. S. Wiggins (Ed. ), The five-factor model of personality: Theoretical perspectives (pp. 180-207). New York: unleashed talents if ever to be able to fit it with the kind of business that will best suit him. This is for the purpose of finding the better enterprise that will complement to his overall personality. This is important because the idea of putting up a business is much of a risk to take and Dave cannot afford not to be successful in his new chosen field after leaving his long time job. This is somehow a prelude to the future of his business because as the business and manger and owner to be, he will direct the efficiency and effectiveness of his business. To start with, traits and characters must be identified. In this case Dave provided us with some of his characteristics that are assumed to be relevant in helping him determine the best business for him. Dave mentioned that he was previously a paralegal and he had worked with attorneys and several clients in their law firm. He claimed that he often acts as a leader and in fact he formerly managed a staff. He added that he posses various leadership qualities though if given a choice, he would rather work alone. Applying the Big Five Personality Earlier, it has been mentioned that Dave, if given the chance will rather work alone, hence, we can conclude that he is an introvert. But since, he had longed desire to have his own business, it is inevitable to work with other person or to a group of person. By the word business, he is going to put up an organization. Building an organization means continuous interaction with other people and all the accompanied activities will operate in a relational or in a dynamic manner. Example of introversion is being independent and often being quiet. Introvert people prefer to do things by themselves and refuses to be helped by others and also disregard group activities because they see themselves more productive if they are alone. They are also the type who minimizes social involvement, in other words they prefer less socialization. Some of them are deliberately shy and some extreme cases found depression. Given that Dave wanted to put up his business and he also wanted to be alone if possible, I think the best business that will suit him is a coffee shop. Maintaining a coffee shop is not that difficult. Three to four people can be able to organize the business accordingly. If he will put up a coffee shop, he can be the one at the counter or he can hire another person to do that and all he needs to do is to supervise. Unlike his previous job wherein he had staff to lead to and attorneys and clients to deal with, a coffee shop business will put him in less trouble. If he has a passion in bartending, he can be the one to do it and all he needs to face is the waiter who will be passing the orders to him. As for agreeableness, undoubtedly, Dave has established leadership qualities necessary to operate a business. It will not be hard for him to deal with his employees to be, since he had his fair share on this matter on his preceding occupation. On the other hand, Dave showed did not mention about openness but I think it is safe to say that he is an open person because even if he has introvert qualities he bear with his colleagues for a long period of time and he tried to be a good leader and showed exceptional qualities of leadership in the law firm. Another proof of his openness is his likeness to have his own business. This means that he is open for new changes in his life to happen. Meanwhile, Dave has finally become assertive departing from his old reticent way. This is because at last he had the courage to left his job and starts a new with a business. Lastly, after evaluating the four factors of the Big Five, we can conclude that Dave is in the mid of imaginative and conventional dimension since he had let several years to past before actually realizing his wants, nevertheless he also posters creativity side as he was able to think of another form of occupation. In this activity, I learned the importance of knowing your personal traits and characteristics. Being familiar with your limitations and advantages may help you in various ways, likewise, it can help you understand others as well as to deal with them accordingly. Being acquainted with these traits will improve your relationship to other people and most of all it will contribute a lot in realizing your own potential and developing you as a person. References About. com Website (2008). The â€Å"Big Five Personality Model. Retrieved on January 17, 2008 from http://psychology. about. com/od/personalitydevelopment/a/bigfive. htm Buss, D. M. (1996). Social adaptation and five major factors of personality. In J. S. Wiggins (Ed. ), The five-factor model of personality: Theoretical perspectives (pp. 180-207). New York: Guilford. Soldz, S. , & Vaillant, G. E. (1999). The Big Five personality traits and the life course: A 45-year longitudinal study. Journal of Research in Personality, 33, 208-232

Mrs. Warren s Profession Essay - 1103 Words

It is quite common to get in arguments with your family. Especially between parent and child. A single disagreement can sometimes turn into a year long feud. The fights between Parvez and his son Ali and Mrs. Warren and her daughter Vivie however, leave the scope of a typical family argument. Both arguments end in disaster and break whatever relationship they had apart. Both family’s disputes are about each others morals and way of life. In Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Mrs. Warren and Vivie argue over the morals of Mrs. Warrens job as a madam. Vivie patronizes her mother over her profession. After denying her mother’s money she coldly states â€Å"Excuse me: I d o mind†¦ You explained how it came about. You did not tell me that it is still going on† (Shaw 156). She believes that her mother is leading an unclean life and wants nothing to do with it. She refuses to change her mind in any way. In the same way, Ali shows resistance to his father and his West ernized way of life in â€Å"My Son the Fanatic†. Parvez and Ali clash about the morals of their culture - the difference between England and Pakistan. Throughout the story Ali slowly begins to express his detest of his father. He goes on to states that his father has not lead a good life and that he has been too accepting of Western values (Kureishi 103-104). Similarly to Vivie, Ali also does not back down from his beliefs. While Ali and Vivie have a lot to say, their parents are not going to sit by idly; they are going to fight back.Show MoreRelatedCritical Analysis Of Mrs. Warrens Profession1482 Words   |  6 Pagesbackgrounds and perspectives, these people headlined the rising feminist movement in the mid-to-late 1800’s. 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