Friday, March 26, 2010

vatican museums

Vatican museums please. and that's all. THAT'S ALL
i want to go to... well all the interesting ones.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Gladiator Girls -Nathan Landau

Nathan Landau

Dave Whitson

Humanities 9r

3-7-10


Gladiator Girls

A few years back, group of archaeologist found the remains of a young female buried out side the city limits of Rome that dates back to to the late first century CE. She was found right close to a Roman amphitheater that could hold about one-third of Rome's entire population at that time. The remains found on her skeletal figure suggest that she was a wealthy and successful person because of the expensive and extravagant objects found on her person. Scientific test tell us that she was most likely in good physical shape and she was also free of any sickness or disease. Archaeologist also say that “the wight oil lamps interred with her depicts a gladiator.” This discovery led to a much further debate to wether this girl was actually a gladiator. One side suggests that oil lamps were also common house house hold items and were not limited to just gladiators. Also, it is evident that this girl was buried in the setting of an elaborate funeral and gladiators did not typically have such a funeral.


Archaeologist do know however that female gladiators did exist in the ancient Roman world. They know this because many accounts of literature, inceptions, and art even though these types of discoveries are rare. Excavators have found sources saying that women were prominent and competitive fighters in gladiator arenas. Inscriptions from both late and Roman times show images of women in full armor in a gladiator duel. However, most archaeologist believe that women never fought men in a gladiator duel because of if the women turned out to be the victor, than that would put the whole Roman society in an uneasy state. Female gladiators also performed elaborated shows in order to entertain visiting members of the royal family. Women would also take on the roles that men are usually used to. They would drive chariots in battles with live animals. These events would be taken very seriously through out Rome and they were almost as popular as battles with the traditional men. Although women gladiators may not be as well known as men fighters, there is no doubt that women did not play in a role in these battle and the discovery of this young female gladiator is another step to advancing our knowledge on the subject.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Daily Life In The Roman City "Gladiators" By Gregory S. Aldrete

In this story it says that how in Ancient Rome their were many gladiator combats. It says how entertainment today is far different than entertainment in ancient Rome. For instance the entertainment in ancient Rome was based on sacrifices to the gods, which consisted of gladiators killing each other or being killed by animals. It also mentions that, "when a king or major war person died, for their ceremonial death, gladiators fought and killed each other in honor of them." Through out the Roman empire, the senate would would only be able to support only about 2 gladiator events per year, but during the time when Augustus ruled, he allowed about 8 gladiator shows. But for the gladiators their were many different types like slaves, people who were taken as prisons during war and people from the country who were interested in being gladiators such as athletes to make money and become really famous. But before becoming a gladiator they had to go through a lot of training to become good.

the gladiator revolution

This so called “gladiator girl” was discovered in london in a cemetery outside the cities in an archeological site and because there was no evidence of sickness, she was in her early twenties, and was in extremely good physical shape, she did not seem like the person to be buried outside the city walls with the... less fortunate people. The way she was buried and the items buried with her suggest the gladiator status, but when she was alive (late 1st century) the items she was buried with was fiarly common for rich people, and not strictly for gladiators. The debate is leaning towards the idea that she was not a gladiator, eveen though there were other female gladiators before her, so it was not unheard of. In the document (http://dailylife.greenwood.com/dle.aspx?k=3&x=C8739&bc=DBDL1311&p=C8739-804&tab=f&id=0&u=#hit) they support both sides , But it does have more information supporting the female that not. They leave it for you too choose showing a few pictures and some facts, but you can still disagree that she was a gladiator. At the very end of the document, they give multiple examples of females being used as gladiators and female's limits in some sections of sports and politics. This is a very interesting story of how women were making a difference in the world back in the first century, and how persistent they were, and eventhough they were not allowed to play sports, they still did and were buried with honor and helmets and spaers as if they were real gladiators.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

My Elegy Called "Oh Goldfish"

“Oh Goldfish” by Alessio Sarraf (2010)


Oh goldfish how do you leave me swimming in empty tank, or how could you leave me hanging. The day I bought you at Pets Mart was one of the greatest days of my life. You were a very special fish, not just a regular silver or bronze fish, but you were a gold fish. The day you died was very hard and sad for me. Oh I remember the days where I would come and watch you swim in your purple tank, and how I cleaned out your tank every week with pride and happiness. Oh goldfish, I could never replace you with any other fish. You brought me joy and happiness every day. I remember how we used to watch Lakers games together, you swimming in your tank and I laying on the couch. I loved spending time with you each day, I wish I could just watch swim in your tank right now, but that is not an option. Goldfish, you were truly my best friend, and I was deeply saddened by your death, but you will always be in my heart, and I will always remember. You will be deeply missed through out the rest of my life.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

title

Alessio Sarraf's Elegy

The "Elegy for Tibullus" by Ovid was basically starting with grief to more grief. In all three of the stories they all begin with an example of grief. But in the other two they ended up differently, like in William Wordsworth's it was grief to grief and in Michael Collier's it was grief to consolation. In Ovid's story, a quote was said, "No less was Venus stunned by her Tibullus's death."Line (15). In the end of Ovid's story it ended with more grief. An example of this would be for instance if Jacob dies, and his friend Hunter is stunned, it wouldn't be as bad and important as if Jeff Hardy felt bad for Jacob. That is because Jeff Hardy is more important than Hunter.

"Elegy for Tibullus"- Ovid -Nathan Landau

From reading his Elegy, it sounds like it fits into the type of elegy where is starts out with lots of grief then it descends more into a happier and remembering sense. It is clear that the elegy initially starts out with grief. For example, "See Venus's boy, bearing his quiver upside down; his bow is broken and his torch quenched". (8) There obvious signs of grief through this passage and it starts out with Ovid going into a deep mourning. Ovid describes his "lifeless" corpse just laying there. He also explains how other people and gods such as Venus are also stunned by the death of Tibullus. Towards the end however, Ovid goes into more of a state of remembering and the elegy moves into more of consolation state. Ovid goes into how Tibullus is blessed and how he will be remembered. Ovid also explains how everyone will be on his side and how he will come into peace within his self with him self and the earth. "May your bones find repose within heir sheltering urn, and may earth not lie heavy on your shades" (68)

Elegies

I think that Ovid was writing the Elegie in Grief - Consolation form. In the beginning it tells of how sad both Venus is over Aeneas and how Ovid is over Tibullus's deaths. In the poem it describes how they had totaly different types of deaths but yet they're grief was the same . Then towards the end it starts to tell of how they start to be able to ease they're pain, by saying " If anything remains of us but name and shade, Elysium's vale will be Tibullus's home" (lines 59-60) and then at the very end it says " These shades will be your comrades, if any shades there are: you have joined the blessed, elegant Tibullus"(lines 65-66) explaining how Tibullus has died but later on in life the will re-meet in the Underworld.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

the new edited one that dave recommended

The Esquiline Hill
One of the seven original mountains of Rome, it had been there since the beginning and was originally just the property of Rome, and had no value. But today, the Esquiline hill as many ruins on it, and many buildings/shelters that cannot be used, but there are also many that can be used as hotels, and tourist sites for visitors. This is one of the big tourists attractions due to its ruins, ancient buildings, modern hotels, and plenty of green vegitation. One famous place that still remains on the hill is the Temple of Minerva Medica, which is revered for its history. The reason this hill is so attractive to tourists and Italians alike: It is big, it has ruins on it, and it is a great place to find history. History in Rome is found on hills.
the center of rome
The reason for this fantastic title is that this hill has been the property of Rome ever since it was built (with exception to wars where Rome was claimed to another country). The Esquiline hill was one of seven hills that helped to create Rome. The other six are the Aventine hill, the Caelian Hill, the Capitoline Hill, the Palentine Hill, The Palatine Hill, the Quirinal Hill, and last but not least, the Viminal Hill. They were the foundations at Rome’s heart, and that is why they are so valueable to Rome amd its center.
The Esquiline Hill
One of the seven original mountains of Rome, it had been there since the beginning and was originally just the property of Rome, and had no value. After many years, Rome advanced and became what it is today. The Esquiline hill is the largest of the seven hills in central Rome and has the Colossus, the Temple of Claudius, and a few other awesome monuments, but that was a long time ago. It used to be famous, but that is not my era so I guess I can’t talk about it. The Esquiline hill as many ruins on it, and many buildings/shelters that cannot be used, but there are also many that can be used as hotels, and tourist sites for visitors. One famous place that still remains on the hill is the Temple of Minerva Medica, which is revered for its history. The reason this hill is so famous for tourists and Italians alike, it is big, its had ruins on it, and it is a great place to find history. History in Rome is found on hills.
† the center of rome ¢
The reason for this fantastic title is that this hill has been the property of Rome ever since it was built (with exception to wars where Rome was claimed to another country). The Esquiline hill was one of seven hills that helped to create Rome. The other six are the Aventine hill, the Caelian Hill, the Capitoline Hill, the Palentine Hill, The Palatine Hill, the Quirinal Hill, and last but not least, the Viminal Hill. They were the foundations at Rome’s heart, and that is why they are so valued.
not quite revised edition

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Quirine Hill

Citations -


1.)

Sheldon, Natasha. "The God Quirinus The Ancient Roman God of the Quirinal Hill." The God Quirinus The Ancient Roman God of the Quirinal Hill. Natasha Sheldon, 25 Nov. 2009. Web. 6 Feb. 2010.

2.)

"Romulus and Remus - Life before Rome, The founding of Rome, War with the Sabines Read more: Romulus and Remus - Life before Rome, The founding of Rome, War with the Sabines http://encyclopedia.stateuniversity.com/pages/19052/Romulus-Remus.html#ixzz0ev5f2nz6." StateUniversity.com. Cambridge Encyclopedia. Web. 6 Feb. 2010.


Quirinal Hill -

The Quirinal Hill was one of Five hills that helped form the boundary of Rome. In Rome the god was sometimes know as Quirinus which in some cases was know after Romulus who became the god after death. The Quirinal hill was not a main part of Rome when it was first built though. The Quirinal hill did not become a part of Rome until after it was built when Quirinal was adopted into Rome.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Viminal Hill-Nathan

The Viminal hill is the smallest of all 7 famous Roman hills and is clear that is treated as the least important. It was also one of the last hills to be included in the walls of Rome.

Constructed 144 and 140 BC: Aqua Marcia was built. This proved clean water that contributed to the military victory against Carthage.

Over the course of a ten year period, the Baths of Diocletian were built on the north eastern portion of the hill and they were the largest in Rome. They ranged to over 1 million square feet. These baths could accommodate over 2,000 bathers.

All though Viminal was the smallest hill in Rome, there were still tons of working people and they left there stories of their life taking place in about 80 BC.



"Viminal." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 04 Feb. 2010 www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/629302/Vimina.

"7 Hills of Rome (Viminal)" 2010. N.S, Gill About.com 4 Feb. 2010
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/cityofrome/ss/7hillsofRome_6.htm

"Viminal" Absolute Encyclopedia. 2009. AbsoluteEncyclopedia.com

"The seven hills of Rome. Part 5: Viminal hill" 2004. Joe Flavius. HistoryWalker.com
http://www.historywalker.com/officialpaper/1/HistRoVim.html

Hercules' and the Cacus.

The first part I want to talk about is how each story actually goes in depth on the physical and characteristic traits of Hercules. For Example, Livy lacks the detail on Hercules' traits and the back story behind the whole thing. Vergil goes into very deep detail. For example Livy states "as Cacus tried to prevent him by force from entering the cave, he was killed by a blow from Hercules' club". There is not much detail said about Hercules' feelings and what went on before this happens. As Vergil states "Hercules arrived in tearing passion, turning his head this way and that, scanning every approach, and gashing his teeth, hot with rage, three times he tried the stony doorway in vain". This quote mentions the eternal thoughts and emotions going through Hercules' head while he is about to enter the cave. Providing much more detail than Livy. Virgil also describes that battle that Hercules goes through with Cacus and himself. "with unaccustomed howling and rained boughts and giant blocks of stone at him". As Livy mentions virtually nothing on this topic. Virgil however, concentrates more on the aspect on the conflict with Hercules and Cacus, and not so much how it started as Ovid and Levy are stronger in information on this topic. Ovid and and Levy both describe Cacus in different sense. By reading both, they defiantly portray Cacus as a totally different person. Livy portrays Cacus more as a peacfull shepherd living near by where Hercules. As Ovid sais "over the entrance hung human arms arms and skulls, and the ground whitened bones". Ovid also uses the term "fierce Cacus". This shows that conflict between Cacus and Hercules may have been foreseen more with Ovid, and also may have been more intense. It also shows Hercules less of cold blooded creature and may have had reason to confront cacus. As Livy portrays Cacus and more as an innocent figure.

I believe that the reason Livy wrote the story that he wrote was not so much to include as much detail as possible. The main reason was to get a message across and make people make a connection. He mentioned Remus and Romulus so people could make a connection between Hercules and Cacus and relate that to both the internal and external conflict with Remus and Romulus and also them being abandoned in the forest and then getting rescued again, then Romulus creating Rome and making it powerful. By Livy putting to much detail in the Hercules it would not accurately portray the story people know about Romulus and Remus. I could not make a connection with Romulus and Remus in Ovid and Virgil. Livy also mention the overseeing and counting of the birds flying over head witch makes another connection with Romulus and Remus. He portrays this as an omen because it ultimately led to the death of Remus in the Romulus and Remus. Livy's story is and in essence, a fairy tale with in a fairy tail. By understating Hercules and Cacus, we better understand Romulus and Remus by the sense of what conflict went on in both stories.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Athens 4th century B.C

There were some very important things happening in Athens at this time. The era was described as the "golden age". Democracy was powerful during this time.
There were some epic battles durning this time.
The battle of Allia broke out against against the Romans and the Celtic army.
In 388 B.C: receives its imperialist ambitions. The Athenian leader of democracy engages in a successful on Lesbos. Thrasybalus was later killed at Aspendus. The citizens of Aspendus refused to paying tribute to Athens.
In 386 B.C., Th Corinthian war ends by the peace of Antalcidas. his caused the Greek city states its independence.
In 379 B.C Theban fighters and their leader Pelopidas gained support from Athenians who smuggle into the country wearing women clothing and helped murder the leader of the Junta, drove the Spartan garrison out and established a new government along the lines of democracy.

The economic status during this time was not good. Farmers land was in the
aftermath of a destructive war and therefore no crops were flourishing.

The development of Athens however was great during this time period. With in a ten year period Athens re-build their wall, recovered much of their trade, and achieved a suitable economy. They were ready for another joust with Sparta.

We believe that one of the most important developments in ancient Greece was Athens regaining its allies and trade. This allows Athens to essentially flourish again. It also brings Athens back to another social stable state and allows them to re gain their power in ancient Greece.

After the assassination of his father Phillip in 336 B.C during an expedition to free the Greek states of Asia Minor from the Persians, there was an conflict between Greeks and Macedonians in Thebes. Which was a another important developments.

Another important development is the improved agriculture around Greece. Athens greatly improved its agriculture as well as King Philip II improving agriculture on his mountain side. This allows Greece's trade to flourish and also improves the economic state of Greece.

Part of the reason that Macedonia flourished is because of their improved economic state and their agricultural system. In less than a decade that Philip II was in power he defeated all of his neighbors. They also improve their military technology and strategy. Philip II eventually became the dominant ruler of Greece then died and Alexander the Great takes over.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

For Friday 1/8/10 - Robert B.

(I chose prompt #1)


Oedipus was told that he was going to kill his farther and tried to escape his fate. However, even though he tried to escape it he still got into a fight and killed the people. Oedipus was well aware that if he got into a fight and killed someone that his fate might be fulfilled but he still fought and killed anyway. Mr. Dave said in our class that Oedipus couldn’t back down from the fight once he killed the first man, Oedipus knew that as well. Oedipus could of backed down but he didn’t he fought and killed all of the men and by doing so sealed his fate.

Oedipus made himself “the mortal man the gods despise the most” by trying to fight the fact that he didn’t kill his father even though he had already sealed his fate. He went in search to find out the truth and it turned around and ended up having him stab his eyes out and his wife/mom kill herself (or by having her jump of something and splat on the ground). So my decision is that Oedipus is guilty because he had free will and knowledge of what his fate was but still had it happen to him anyway.


(part 2 answer)

“But my mother’s bed—
I am afraid of that. And surely I should be?” ... This is foreshadowing that even though Oedipus had heard that he didn’t kill his father that disaster still might come upon him and his mom/wife.

“In the name of the gods, no! If you have [1060]
some concern for your own life, then stop!
Do not keep investigating this. 1270
I will suffer—that will be enough.” ... Jocasta is foreshadowing that disaster will fall upon her and Oedipus if he continues to investigate this.

For Friday January 8th, 2010

Part 1 Prompt 1

Oedipus’ story is very interesting and at the same time, it is also very disturbing! When Oedipus was born, it was said that he was under a terrible curse. The curse had to do with his fate. Oedipus’ fate was that when he was older he would kill his father, who happened to be King Laius, and he would also marry his own mother. King Laius and Queen Jocasta decided that they didn’t want that to happen and so they sent Oedipus off with one of their servants. They told the servant to take the baby, pierce and tie together his ankles, and then...kill him. The servant said he would obey. Luckily the servant pitied Oedipus. He didn’t have the heart to kill him and so the servant passed Oedipus along to another shepherd. The shepherd then passed him off to King Polybus. Good news right? No. When Oedipus heard about his fate he left Corinth because he didn’t want to kill King Polybus, who he thought was his father, or marry his mother. So it happens, Oedipus ended up killing King Laius and marring Queen Jocasta. Oedipus was finally happy. He thought that he had escaped his fate, however, this was not the case. Eventually, a messenger came and delivered the news to Oedipus. When they found out, Queen Jocasta committed suicide and Oedipus jabbed sharp brooches into his eyes, which caused him to go blind. Should Oedipus be found guilty? I think not. Oedipus honestly tried to escape his fate. He didn’t want to hurt anyone. Another reason why he cant be found guilty is because the gods intervened. It is not fair to say that someone is guilty if they didn’t have any free will.

Part 2 Foreshadowing

1. "I say that you yourself are the very man your looking for."

2. "For the accused polluter of this land is you."

*Makhayla Rose*

For Friday 1-8 -Nathan Landau

The story of Oedipus is an interesting one. The land which Oedipus rules is cursed because the killer of the last king was not brought to justice. Little does poor old Oedipus does not know however that he is the killer and he is the person that is cursing this land. He warned by the prophet but does not believe it at first. When he finds out it is in fact true, his wife/mother kills here self and Oedipus daggers out his eyes. I do not think that, that is a fair accusation and curse that the Gods have put on him and on the city. The curse was put on him because he murdered the King of Thesbes and his own father but he did not know that who he killed was his father. The only reason he killed the king is because he was trying to run him off and the road and killed the king in self defense. I think it is screwed up for these so-called Gods to curse someone when they killed in self defense. Yes, he is responsible for his actions but he and other people should not be punished by killing in self defense. I think the effort to escape his fate is Oedipus realizing morally that he actually is innocent. However, like fate told his parents earlier, he was obligated to kill his father and be exiled from the land. I however believe in free will and believe that he should not be punished for killing in self defense.

1: "Speak out to everyone. The grief I fell of these citizens is even greater than any pain I fell for my own life" -Creon pg 4 line# 109

2: "Let us get up, children. For this man has willingly declared just what we came for. And may Phoebus, who sent this oracle, come as our saviour and end our sickness" -Priest
pg 6 line#178

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

for Thursday 1/7/10 ... Robert B.

I can think a time when I felt sure about something but failed. For the trial of Socrates I felt confident in what I had. The only rule for the speech was that we had to make it a bare minimum of three minutes long. Sarah, Arron, Sam, David and I all worked hard on gathering information for the speech. We all had a lot of good information when we started. I worked on my speech over the weekend and timed a little over three minutes. I also trusted that Sam, Arron, David, and Sarah had met the requirements as well. However, on the day that we were going to give our speeches I guess you could say that disaster struck. When David, Sam, Sarah, Arron, and I were outside practicing our speeches only Sarah and Arron met the three minute requirement. I remember me starting to panic when I heard that my speech was only two minutes and twenty seconds long. Sam, David, and I (or at least Sam and I) couldn't figure out how to make our speeches meet the requirements. … When I was in the trial of Socrates I gave my speech knowing that it wasn't going to meet the requirements. When Sam, Sarah, David, Arron and I finished our speeches we heard the opposing teams speeches. After the opposing team was done I think that all of my group thought that we had a chance at winning. The day after that we heard what everyones votes were and we ended up winning the trial. We were one vote away from execution but all agreed that he should be exalted from Athens. Even our humanities teacher voted for Sarah, David, Sam, Arron, and I. But I will never forget how our group won and we didn't even really meet the one requirement.

For Thursday 1-7 -Nathan Landau

The year was 2004. Both the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox were having exceptional seasons. The Yankees being as they always are had the a roster consisting of many of the top player in the league. Money is no issue for them. The Red Sox also had a very strong roster and were also very determined since they had not won a World Series since the yearly 1900's when they traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees. Since they did not win a World Series since that trade the Red Sox carried on their burden what was known as the "curse of the great bambino" (which was a nickname Babe Ruth). During the 2004 season the Yankees won their division and the Red Sox won the American League wild card. Therefore they both got into the playoffs. The Red Sox made a great series out of the first round and eventually won. The Yankees also won their first round of the playoffs and that left the Yankees and Red Sox playing each other in a 7 game series to decide who gets the American League in the World Series. The Yankees were of course the favorite but the Red Sox chances did not look to bad. The winner of the series was basically who ever won 4 games the quickest. The Yankees took game 1. Me being a big Red Sox fan, the chances of the Red Sox winning slimed but there still was hope for me. the Yankees took game 2 and after that I got worried. I was afraid to watch game 3 because it was at Yankee Stadium and I did not want to see them win. The Yankees did take game 3 and I was pissed. I wanted to throw stuff. If the Yankees won more game the Sox were out. Boston had to win 4 in a row. I was so sure the Yankees were gonna win I did not watch the next game even though it was at Fenway Park in Boston. The Yankees did good but the Red Sox managed to win that game. Making it 3-1 Yankees. I was happy but I was still sure that the Yankees were going to win. However it seemed that last game seemed to be a spark. The Red Sox won the next game making the series 3-2 Yankees. I got even happier but I still did know that the Yankees did not loose many games in a row. I watched the beginning of the next game and the Red Sox got the lead and won that game. Making the series tied at 3. I started to regain hope. It went into an epic game 7. I watched the game in much anticipation. The game was in Boston so our chances looked bright now. The lead went back in forth but the Red Six won the game and the series coming back trailing 3 games. The Red Sox had made it into the World Series and the series against the Yankees went down as the biggest come backs and upsets in sports history. I was so happy I believe I went out side and shot paintballs in the air. The Red Sox sweeped the St. Luis Cardinals in the World Series 4 games to 0 and won their first World Series since the early 1900's. While also breaking the "curse" I was so happy and relived that I ran around the house for about 3 hours.
The End.

-Nathan Landau GO RED SOX

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

foreshadowing

1. "When I count the days—

the time he’s been away—I now worry
what he’s doing. For he’s been gone too long,
well past the time he should have taken." ... Oedipus is foreshadowing that Creon might not be trustworthy because he has been gone for longer then he should of been.

2. "I will remove, not for some distant friend,

but for myself. For whoever killed this man
may soon enough desire to turn his hand
[140]
in the same way against me, too, and kill me." ... Oedipus is foreshadowing that he might be killed by same man that killed Laius.

3. "They all died—except for one who was afraid

and ran away. There was only one thing 140
he could inform us of with confidence
about the things he saw." ... Creon is foreshadowing that they might be able to avenge Laius because they know that a group of people killed him.

(question #2)

1.Oedipus preposes that the killer should speak out against himself. He also says that if anyone hides the killer or one of his friends out of fear is not avenging Laius. Oedipus also has a unique view of justice, in this case all he wants for justice is for no one to help of show compassion for the killer.

2. Fate and justice co-exist in many ways. If you ask me most of the the time fate itself often leads to justice. Yes, you can also have fate and justice at the same time.

(question #3)

1. Cadmeians - The inhabitants of the city of Thebes.

2. Ismenus - A son of Asopus and Metope.

3.Thrace - A historical and geographic area in southeast Europe.

Robert B.

For Wednesday January 6, 2010.

Foreshadowing

1. "Oedipus, a stranger to Thebes, became king of the city after the murder of king Laius, about fifteen or sixteen years before the start of the play. He was offered the throne because he was successful in saving the city from the Sphinx,"
--> The quote above states that Oedipus was offered the throne because he was successful in saving the city from the Sphinx, which makes me think that there is a problem that Oedipus will have to save Thebes from.

2. The all died except for one who was afraid and ran away. There was only one thing that he could inform us of with confidence about the things that he saw."
--> When the above quote was stated by Creon, you could tell that Oedipus wanted to find the witness so that he could find out as much information about the murder as possible.

3."For whoever killed this man may soon desire to turn his hand in the same way against me, too, and kill me."
--> This makes me think that they will find the murderer, but then when they do, the murderer will try to kill Oedipus.


Oedipus's speech

Oedipus want to find King Laius' murderer. He feels that it is time for the murderer to face his / her punishment. Oedipus stated that if the murderer was to come forward and admit to what he has done, than the punishment wouldn't be as harsh. However, as more and more time passes, the punishment will become more and more severe. Oedipus tells the citizens that any information they may have would be greatly appreciated. In order for King Laius to be able to best in peace, the murderer must serve his / her fate. I think that fate and justice can co-exist because fate determines whether or not justice is served.


Vocabulary

*Prophesies - To predict
**Amphitrite - Poseidon's wife, who was also the Goddess of the sea
***Suppliants - Beggars


Constructive Comments
--> Comments on Sarah's post.

*Makhayla Rose*

For Wednesday January 6, 2010.

For Wednesday 1-6 -Nathan Landau

Foreshadowing:

CREON: "Good news. I tell you even troubles difficult to bear will all end happily if events lead to the right conclusion" pg. 4 line #102

-Creon says this right after he is sent to the oracle and when he says this he gives hope that there is a hope to save the city from its suffering but it would take some effort in order to restore order to restore the city.

CREON: "They all died-except for one who was afraid and ran away. There was only one thing he could inform us of with confidence about the things he saw" pg. 5 line #139

-Judging by the normal process of investigating a crime that has happened some time ago. You usually go back to the witness and see if you can squeeze any more information out of them. With this said, it is very possible that Oedipus and Creon might go investigate that person again and see if he remembers anything els. This could lead up to a dramatic twist in the story if they find any information from this witness.

PRIEST: "Oedipus, ruler of my native land , you see how people here of every age are crouching down around your alters, some fledglings barely strong enough to fly". pg. 2 line #17

-This is indicating that people are unhappy with the lands conditions and are suffering from it. The priest is going to the king and basically begging him to make some changes to the city or see what is going on. This passage pretty much sets up the ultimate conflict for what the story is about and that is restoring the land back to good health.

The Speech:
Oedipus's theory on punishment is fairly simple. He will strive to find the killer and bring harsh punishment but if the killer comes forward he will lower that punishment to some degree. He also orders all the citizens of the land to bring forth any information they might have on killer and if they do, he would thank them. He basically wants to make the investigation easier for him self and catch any clues in a short amount of time as he can. He mentions faith in the sense that he thinks faith will eventually bring this killer to justice and it it is faith that the land will be restored to good heath. I believe that faith is what guides your life and what happens that is beyond your control is faith. I simply believe that faith in the term of justice is to bring the offender to justice.

Words/definitions:
Harbourned: To receive or to take from.
Suppliants: To be a beggar in need for something greatly.
Prophesies: To foretell or predict.


-Nathan Landau