Joseph Krutch describes tragedy as, "An expression, not of despair, but of the triumph over despair and of confidence in the value of human life." After all the sadness and trouble behind tragedy, there is a beauty that is usually uncovered, or a new beginning, perhaps. No other element of literature can accomplish this. Tragedy is associated, most commonly, with sadness and hardship. On the surface tragedy makes up those things, also uncovers a new truth, one that can lead to a happy ending. Later on in the piece, Krutch also says, "We accept gladly the outward defeats which it describes for the sake of the inward victories which it reveals." Again, by creating a tragedy on the outside, something positive can come out of it.
Krutch also writes, "However tremendous [tragedy] may be, is an affirmation of faith in life, a declaration that even God is not in his Heaven, then at least Man is in his world." No matter how tragic an event, 'it's not the end of the world' as they say. In other words, there are opportunities to make the right adjustments and move forward. Also, this is a great description of a basic philosophy of life: that we do not realize what we have until it is gone. Many of us take advantage of people, material items, trust and relationships with others, and once we lose those things, it's a tragedy in our minds.
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In Oedipus Rex, the tragedy that takes place is within the comparison or the beginning of the story to the end. In the beginning of Oedipus Rex, the citizens adore and admire their king for his valiant behavior in solving the riddles of the Sphinx. As the story moves forward, Oedipus is avoiding the prophecy that will inevitably come true, which ultimately leads to his defeat. As a reader, the prophecy slowly but surely pieces itself together throughout the story. This makes the ending all the more tragic. I believe that Oedipus did nothing wrong, he had no idea that Jocasta was his biological mother. Fate plays a major part in creating this shift. The prophecy had to come true, no matter how hard both players of the story attempt to avoid it.
The use of dramatic irony enhances the tragedy in this story even more. It is ironic that Oedipus flees Corinth to avoid his so thought 'parents', but the readers know he's only getting closer to Jocasta, his real mom. It is also ironic that Oedipus can contain the answers to the Sphinx's riddles yet have no answer to the riddle of his very own existence. The irony in all this is that Jocasta made sure her son would never find her again, but yet the prophecy came true, and therein lies the tragedy. There are many factors that influence one's ability to 'be successful'. Others that surround yourself, the views that you share, and a number of other components can increase or decrease the amount of success you are able to have. Many think our society, nowadays, is extremely materialistic. Really, it is the satisfaction that is gained thorough owning materialistic items, being noticed, attention-seeking. We demand attention more than ever. The media shows how a life should be lived, something so unrealistic. This has been going on for decades, the idea of a nuclear family was introduced in the mid-1900's. Following these plans of chasing a perfect lifestyle, actually causes the opposite of satisfaction: unsatisfaction. This is due the simple idea that a perfect lifestyle is unachievable.
When failure comes to mind, we are fearful and work hard to avoid hitting rock-bottom. We are especially fearful because we fear the judgement and ridicule that would be received from others when reaching failure. The only way to reach success is to push yourself outside your comfort zone, into what may be awkward social situations. Everybody in this world is susceptible to tragedy. It is a common misconception that only the upper most class of people experience tragedy. Major motion pictures, such as Hercules for example, depict the hero (him and only himself) to experience a major downfall. Although we never hear of any other tragedies, the common man is just as apt to experience adversity as the elite upper-class. "...We never hesitate to attribute to the well-placed and the exalted the very same mental processes as the lowly" (Lines 17-18). Tragedies of the most meaning are the tragedies that are publicized, and we hear about. There is no doubt that these are more likely, so to say, to happen to the wealthier, upper-class, because they have more to lose. These same tragic events are just as likely to happen to the less fortunate, tragedy is inevitable.
An experience that brings you to your knees in suffering is challenging and could be a long road to recover. There is some positive in this, believe it or not. In lines 2-6, Miller states, "...Everything we have accepted out of fear or insensitivity or ignorance is shaken before us and examined, and from this total onslaught... from this total examination of the 'unchangeable' environment--comes the terror and fear that is closely associated with tragedy." The expression, "what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger" comes to mind. Something that breaks you down to your roots, and makes you re-evaluate everything you've ever known, in some situations, makes you a stronger human being, someone that has the ability to recognize adversity and conquer it. That is the beautiful thing about tragedy, the ability to rebound. Tragedy is defined as, "a form of drama based on human suffering that invokes an accompanying catharsis or pleasure in audiences” (What is Tragedy, Wikipedia) Tragedies, big and small, have an effect on our lives. Experiencing a tragedy, such as the loss of a loved one, is a very difficult thing to handle. No one wants to deal with tragedies, but, believe it or not, the adversity in tragedies make us stronger human beings. Think about it this way. Person A lives a perfect life, everything seems to go their way, where they never experience a downfall, and Person B experiences life as it actually is, a struggle in some areas, glory in others. Suddenly a major tragedy hits, such as moving away from everything you've ever known, packing your bags and leaving. Person B is much more apt to work through the tragic event, whereas Person A experiences a setback.
Are we capable of learning from tragedies? Some say that history repeats itself, and I believe that is true. I also believe that personal tragedies are able to be overcome, those that affect you on a personal level. Tragedies on a worldwide level may take longer to overcome, disagreements are inevitable, but compromises can be made. It ultimately depends on the setback that occurs. Personal setbacks may or may not motivate you to move forward, and a larger tragedy dealing with a large group of people could take up more time. |
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