An American Tragedy

Water is the ultimate contradiction. Its serene at times, while at others it wields devastating power. It is the source of all life, yet it can rip it away with one swift swell. For this reason alone, I find the oceans, lakes, and rivers offer such an array of enjoyment while it commands my respect for its authority. Water not only has the ability to drift from natural states, but it also brings pleasure and pain from its temperature. On a recent vacation I had the pleasure of experiencing…

The Art Form of Humor The Different Views Of Punching Up And Down In “Why Punching Down Will Never Be Funny” by Schaach Koul, she argues that punishing down as in making jokes of those with less power is not funny. I both agree and disagree with her. Comedy has become such a controversial topic. Can a joke be considered funny depending on who is telling the joke or is it based off the intensity of the joke? In my opinion comedy is for entertaining purposes. People should…

which one is held; especially: high regard”. The character Othello in the book Othello, has extremely high esteem in the beginning of the story. However, as the book goes on Othello’s esteem slowly declines as he becomes a tragic hero of a classic tragedy. At first, Othello is a well respected military leader with a great deal of friends, and a loving wife, Desdemona. When Othello suspects Desdemona of cheating, he makes poor decisions that ultimately lead to his downfall of respect and overall…

In the Odyssey, the gods and their will represent fate, and as such bring both joy and suffering. Fate in the Iliad -- or rather -- the Fates are more powerful, such that the gods must consider them before interfering in the lives of mortals. In tragedies, fate is presented again as an extension of the gods, but in a much more negative light. However, one thing that remains constant throughout genres is that fate is ultimately inescapable. In the Odyssey, the Fates as mythological beings are not…

Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero includes the following five characteristics hamartia, which is in an error in judgement or a big mistake, hubris, which is violence that is offensive to the gods or disregard to others, peripeteia, which is a reversal of fortune, anagnorisis, which is when the tragic hero realizes the reversal of fortune, and then the fate should be too cruel to the hero. Agamemnon fits this description of tragic hero. Agamemnon destroys shrine while he is fighting the war…

tongue? Is it the calming warmth of sun on skin? Perhaps it is, but is that memory clear, or has it been blurred? Now, think of something painful, think of all the small series of events that flew across nearly every person’s mind when experiencing a tragedy. What did it mean? Even if the memory itself it not clear, the lesson is--pain shapes people. Collier wrote in her story, “Marigolds”, “Perhaps we had some dim notion of what we were, and how little chance we had of being anything else.…

Miss Brill vs ‘The Man’ A first impression is said to be one of the most important moments in a relationship, yet it is most often based on little knowledge of who the person truly is. Likewise, premature judgement is made in both “Identities” by W. D. Valgardson, and “Miss Brill” by Katherine Mansfield. Miss Brill is faced with prejudice as she is alone in the “Jardins Publiques” whereas the protagonist from identities is shot to death because of his ‘false identity.’ One's…

Hardin defined "Tragedy" as dramatic outcome that is the inevitable but unplanned result of a character’s actions. He called the destruction of the commons due to overuse a tragedy because it is inevitably the result of shared use. Hardin stated "Freedom in a commons brings ruin to all." Hardin offered two solution to the tragedy of the commons. He stated, "Mutual coercion, mutually agreed upon" was one approach; the other, greater reliance on property rights. Today environmentalists argue that…

When one wants to talk about writing, a variety of tropes or motifs come to mind. When referring to early works or classic literature, one of the tropes that comes out the most is tragedy; the tragic hero trope more specifically. It seems that humans find enjoyment in writing or reading about the magnificent hero, a character that possesses incredible and noble qualities, a figure to admire. However, more often than not, said hero ends up experiencing a falling off, either disgrace or demise,…

Hamlet is a play of loss, of revenge and of insanity. What tends to get overlooked in the thrill of discussion of madness is the reality and truth that Shakespeare’s Hamlet holds. Many of the troubles of real life can be explained and reasoned through this work, specifically how a life outlook can impact a life outcome. Gertrude, Queen of Denmark, is one of Hamlet’s most overlooked characters. She is portrayed as this ambiguous character, without many speaking parts or ways to look into what…