I am suppossed to be creating a 500-600 word essay arguing that Sophocles uses the blindness motif effectively in Oedipus the King. It should be written to MLA guidelines. It says to "offer an explicit thesis statement. I have included my first paragraph. Do I have an explicit thesis statement? If not, how should I improve it? It would really apperciate any feedback. THANKS!!!
Blindness appears in all people, even if they possess the ability to "see". Many people tend to avoid "seeing" the truth or being able to complety understand a situation. A famous quote states "A blind man knows he cannot see and he that is blind in his understanding, which is the worst blindness of all, believes he sees as the best, and scorns a guide". The motif of blindness is a dominant feature in the drama by Sophocles. The play reveals the physical blindness of Tiresias and the arrogant self important blindness of Oedipus. Oedipus is "blind" throughout the story by his inability to understand that the prophecy has come true and scorns the ones who try to guide him; however, Tiresias' physical blindness leads him to "see" the truth.
Greetings!
I think your essay is off to a good start! You could make your thesis statement just a little more "explicit" like this: In Oedipus the King, Sophocles uses the blindness motif effectively by making Oedipus "blind" throughout the story by his refusal to see that the prophecy has come true, while Tiresias' physical blindness allows him to "see" the truth.
Your "famous quote" in your opening is not so famous that your reader will know who said it, so it really needs a citation, or at the very least, an attribution: As Samuel Butler said, "A blind man knows..." And you want to quote it correctly, too, so that it makes more sense. You might want to lead off with it:
Samuel Butler wrote "A blind man knows he cannot see, and is glad to be led, though it be by a dog; but he that is blind in his understanding, which is the worst blindness of all, believes he sees as the best, and scorns a guide." Blindness appears in all people, even if they possess the ability to "see." ... and so on. If you are using American English, put commas and periods inside the quotation marks.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks,
Sarah, EssayForum.com
Thank you Sarah for your help ~ it is greatly appreciated!
Sarah, could you take a look at what I have worked up and see if I am on the right track?
The Importance of Blindness in Sophocles' "Oedipus the King"
Samuel Butler wrote "A blind man knows he cannot see, and is glad to be led, though it be by a dog; but he that is blind in his understanding, which is the worst blindness of all, believes he sees as the best, and scorns a guide." Blindness appears in all people even if they possess the ability to "see". People tend to avoid "seeing" the truth or completely understanding a situation. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles uses the blindness motif effectively by making Oedipus "blind" throughout the story by his refusal to see the prophecy has come true, while Teiresias' physical blindness allows him to "see" the truth. Oedipus begins his life with the prophecy that he will kill his father, sleep with his mother and breed children with her. He becomes aware of the prophecy from an oracle as he searches for answers regarding his parentage. Disillusioned he wanders the country and heads toward a new land "where I should never see the evil sung by the oracle." On his way he crosses paths with a group of men that force him off the road. Oedipus reacts with anger and kills the entire group. He then continues on to Thebes where he defeats the Sphinx that has been killing the people. He is rewarded by being crowned king and marrying the widow queen.
A terrible plague has overcome the country and Oedipus sends for the prophet Teiresias to tell him how to find the killer of the old king and remove the plague. Teiresias realizes who Oedipus is and does not want to tell him that he is the murderer. Oedipus goads him into it and Teiresias advises,
Listen to me. You mock my blindness, do you? But I say that you, with both your eyes, are blind: You can not see the wretchedness of your life, nor in whose house you live, no, nor with whom. Who are your father and mother? Can you tell me? You do not even know the blind wrongs that you have done them, on earth and in the world below.
Sophocles uses the wisdom of Teiresias to cause misgivings in the proud Oedipus and Teiresias continues with the revelation:
A blind man, who has his eyes now; a penniless man, who is rich now; and he will go tapping the strange earth with his staff; to the children with whom he lives now he will be brother and father - the very same; to her who bore him, son and husband - the very same who came to his father's bed, wet with his father's blood.
The final scenes deal with Oedipus discovery that the prophecy is true and he has been blind to the truth. Oedipus in his despair gouges his eyes out. Sophocles uses the self imposed blindness of Oedipus' actions to reinforce the theme. This is evident in the following passage:
This punishment that I have laid upon myself is just. If I had eyes, I do not know how I could bear the sight of my father, when I came to the house of death, or my mother: for I have sinned against them both so vilely that I could not make my peace by strangling my own life.
Sophocles through the physical blinding of Oedipus has finally allowed him to acquire a limited prophetic vision that allows him to "see" or comprehend more clearly the world around him. Teiresias' character is still blind yet he can see further than all the others with great wisdom and clarity.
(The instructions for paper require 500-600 word essay arguing that Sophocles uses the blindness motif effectively in his drama, Oedipus the King. Support with 2 or 3 quotable passages from the drama; document according to MLA guidelines. Be certain to offer an explicit thesis statement.)
Greetings!
I think you've done a very good job of following the instructions and writing your essay! In fact, I only see one small thing that needs correcting; you need an apostrophe in this sentence:
The final scenes deal with Oedipus' discovery that the prophecy is true and he has been blind to the truth.
When writing ancient names, the usual practice is to just put an apostrophe after the "s" rather than adding apostrophe "s", so it's Oedipus' and not Oedipus's.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks,
Sarah, EssayForum.com
