Inevitable Fate?

As we all know, in “Oedipus Rex”, Oedipus kills his father and marries his mother. However, could the oracle’s prophecy ever be avoided if the right actions were taken from the beginning? Fate is all about the timing, and in this play, Oedipus finds out about his parents at the end. Keeping Oedipus would have actually been the better decision for the parents because it would have been unlikely for him to kill his father or marry his mother with the truth being known from the beginning. Of course, fate in this case does not work that way because the parents would not have even thought about this choice in the first place. Sending Oedipus away was thought to be a way to avoid the prophecy, but his parents was just following fate instead. Therefore, Oedipus could only play into the hands of the oracle.

I am also curious about Jokasta’s view on her new marriage. It seems like she already knew about marrying her son before Oedipus confirmed his suspicions with the messenger. It was also mentioned that there were scars on Oedipus’ feet from being pinned as a baby. Those scars are unique enough for Jokasta to possibly recognize as the result of pinned feet. Her early knowledge of Oedipus’ identity would also explain why she wanted to elude all the suspicions surrounding him.  

Fear of Thesis Statements

When writing an essay, people usually fear the thesis statement the most. It is the main focus of the paper and is the over encompassing idea that guides the essay. Personally, it’s the most difficult part of the essay for me because of the intricacies. It can’t be too specific, but it can’t be too general and sound cliché. The thesis can’t have a didactic tone, nor can it be a moral. On top of those rules, the thesis actually has to sound coherent and be strong enough to be able to represent the whole essay.

Writing a thesis used to be easier when using a template to organize all the parts of a thesis, but the technique is obvious and becomes overused. So now, the thesis should be arranged in an original way but still retain all the elements that make up a thesis. I think the difficulties with writing a thesis also comes from phrasing it in a way that answers the question and contains the overall theme. Sometimes, the thesis can limit the examples I have because they only answer the question, but don’t tie in the theme, or the other way around. For now, I can only practice and hope that writing theses will soon come with ease. But for now, even when abiding by all the thesis-writing rules, I always seem to have some awkward phrasing that detracts from my thesis.

Into the Lives of "Las Mariposas"

After reading In the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez, I was so enraptured with what the Mirabal sisters had done that I wanted to figure out if they actually existed. After a quick Google search and a handful of clicks later, I was stunned by the results. The Mirabal sisters were actual people that did in fact die in the hands of dictator Trujillo. And more amazingly, the sole survivor of the “car accident”, Dedé, is still alive today. This realization made the death of the three passionate sisters even more profound.

Trujillo, although the central antagonist of the novel, did not have many detailed descriptions of his corrupt actions. All I was able to understand from the story was that he was a womanizer, had murdered numerous people, was extremely sneaky and cunning, and had forced people to treat him as a god. I learned that he even had the support of the U.S. for a time. Of course, this was before the actions of Trujillo were revealed, but to know that the U.S. was patting Trujillo’s back while he executed protesters left and right was nonetheless disturbing.

The novel contained the perspectives of all four sisters: Patria, Dedé, Minerva, and María Teresa (aka Mate). Patria was the devout Christian and the last of the three sisters to join the revolution, Dedé was loyal but stuck between her devotion to her husband and to her sisters, Minerva was the first Mariposa and the most stubborn, and Mate was sensitive yet brave. The three that were murdered by Trujillo fought for their families and their country’s safety until their dying breaths. And Dedé, although held back by her cautious husband, was the one that lived to tell her sisters’ stories and to fill the hole left by remorse for not being supportive in the past. It’s definitely fascinating to know that there were such people in the world that were willing to jeopardize their lives to better others’. Although parts of the story are fabricated, the reality of the Mirabal sisters’ actions is unquestionable. Slapping the dictator’s face is definitely revolutionary.

¡Vivan las Mariposas!

 

Word Abuse

After reading the article, “I Am Not Amazed: The Shocking, Stunning, Mind-Blowing Rise of ‘Amazing’” on the usage of the word “amazing,” I could easily think of several other words that are now ambiguous in their meanings from over usage. First of all, the title hints at the actual meaning of the word “amazing”- an adjective that describes something as surprising. Honestly, I have never given a second thought to the definition of amazing. From the time I learned English to now, I’ve always heard and used it as a word to describe something positive or something that brings joy- without the connotation of surprise. Of course, the root word “amaze” is usually used correctly because it only has one commonly used meaning and it’s a verb. Adjectives are more likely to be misused because they’re sometimes used to describe nouns in a creative way. Creativity in the use of adjectives can often pass the boundaries of coherency.

I understand that we do have to be careful about the words that we choose in more refined writing, but I’m unlikely to change how I misuse “amazing”. Perhaps I’ll try to avoid the word, but it’s difficult to use the word correctly at all times when an abundance of people still misuse the word. I’m also confused about the use of the word true. If we are to avoid “true” or “truly”, why is using “genuine” or genuinely” acceptable if they are synonymous? Does “true power” ≠ “genuine power”?