Oedipus Rex and a Raisin in the Sun
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This document outlines key themes and literary devices discussed in a literature course, including the importance of family, taking responsibility for one's actions, arrogance versus self-respect, and dramatic irony. It also lists the location and social status of characters in Oedipus Rex and A Raisin in the Sun.
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Oedipus Rex and a Raisin in the Sun
- 1. Adreena Lind Literature 210 July 29, 2012 Rebecca Joella
- 2. Imperfect men can still be good men Importance of knowledge Admiration of family bonds Death
- 3. Location and setting of Oedipus Rex and a Raisin in the Sun. Social status of in the begin of each literary work. Resolution to conflicts Destiny versus Individual Choice
- 4. Arrogance and self-importance Awareness of humanities’ conflicts Falling from Grace Obligation to others
- 5. The consequences of being foolish and proud. Taking responsibility for one’s actions. The strength of prophetic beliefs. Knowing the truth before taking action.
- 6. The power of hope. Disappointments do not mean defeat. The importance of family. Self respect is not the same as pride.
- 7. Dramatic Irony - the character behaves or speaks with out correct information or the truth, which the audience is already aware of. Characterization - the process of conveying information about the character through actions, behaviors, and through other characters. Flashbacks - an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point; these episodes often heavily impact the future or current events of a literary piece.
- 8. Abcarian, R., Klotz, M., & Cohen, S. (2010). Literature: The Human Experience (10th Ed.). Boston, Massachusetts: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Editor's Notes
- Oedipus Rex and a Raisin in the Sun have many similarities, both deal with the deaths of well respected men, and the legacies their father’s have left behind. Both Walter and Oedipus have experienced the loss of their father’s, although in Oedipus’ case this occurs twice, with the news of his adoptive father’s death and his birth father, King Liaus. These men want to be seen as highly respected men, but seem to fall from grace in both stories. Both men prove to be imperfect in many ways, and lack the awareness of their circumstances, but also eventually take responsibility for their actions and thus accepted the consequences of their actions. Walter choses not to sell the house his mother bought and Oedipus left the kingdom and so ended the curse that plagued his people.
- Oedipus Rex takes place in ancient Greece at around 429 B.C and tells the story of a man, who is abandoned by his Mother, Jocaste, and Father, Laius, because of a prophecy. When we meet Oedipus he is King of Thebes, his birth place, though he does not know it. In a Raisin in the Sun, Walter is a chauffer from Chicago during the pre-civil rights era. He comes from humble beginnings and Lived in a small two bedroom apartment with his wife, son, sister and mother and share a single bathroom with neighbors. Oedipus was taken in and raised as a prince. Oedipus is raised in wealth; he is well educated and loved. He left his adoptive parents to protect the from the prophecy as he thought they were his birth parents. He meets and a group of men in the woods and kills the men, in self-defense.Walter and his family although the family is not wealthy Walter’s mother buy a home for the family. They are able to move from the cramped apartment to a nice home in a segregated white section of Chicago. Oedipus seeks to bring an end to the plagues but in doing so unravels long held secrets. This lead to the death of Jocasta, Oedipus’ mother and wife by her own hand. Upon seeing her dead he blinds himself and leaves his kingdom.
- In a rain ins the sun, Walter is seem as proud and boastful he offers his son more money that he asked for to prove he is worth admiration and respect he receives from the child, and should be shown this same affection from the rest of his family. When he is finally given the trust he “gambles” more that he was supposed to, and lost, as Willie took the money and ran. Throughout the story Walter feels the strain of being a poor black man in American. He struggles to keep dreaming; he is lost, and unable to see that his family relies and needs him. When he is finally at his lowest he realizes that even as bad as it gets his family is with him and finally rises; finding pride and respect in himself.In Oedipus Rex, the hero Oedipus is king; he is the power ruler who outwitted the sphinx and save his people from her rule, at least this is how Oedipus appears until we meet the soothsayer this is when we first learn that he may not be the hero everyone assumes him to be, including himself. He dismisses the claims, and blames Creon for bringing the “fortune teller.” He is completely oblivious to the truth and assumes, when Jacosta begs him to stop looking for the King’s murderer, it is because she may find out he is from humble begins. When in fact the reason is because she knows the truth. Jacosta was trying to protect him, but he at that moment could only think of himself. He finally see the truth and begs to be banish, and visit with his daughters one last time. He give reign of the kingdom to his two sons and blinds himself, out of shame. He leaves and the curse is lifted.
- In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus goes in search of the truth behind who killed KingLiaus. He keeps pursuing the “villain” who did the killing and brought about this awful plague to the people; only to find out he is the murderer. He chooses not to believe this information to be true, he does not want this information to correct and so indulges his own ignorance, instead of reading between the lines and really find out the truth about himself. If Oedipus had really listened to the people around him the situation might have been completely different. Furthermore Oedipus’ ego got the better of him; he thought he could outrun his fate. He left his adoptive parents only to return home to the land of his birth, Thebes, and slay his father, as the prophecy stated. In this type of literary work there is no changing fate or destiny. Often characters will try to beat the odds and in the long run end up in the same position, as in the case of Laius and Oedipus. Finally, even though Oedipus is grief stricken and ashamed of his actions he assumes responsibility and instead of forcing others to deal with his mistake and poor judgment he leaves; relinquishing the throne to his sons and bidding farewell to his kingdom.
- Lena, Walter’s mother derives her hope and faith from her strong beliefs in God and religion. This is her strength in hard times. Walter and his sister Beneatha, do not seem to display these same beliefs. Benetha even goes on to monk her mother’s beliefs, as way of asserting her own beliefs and independence. The fact that both Walter and Beneatha struggle to find hope could be because they have nothing to rely on but themselves, in their minds. Lena has her beliefs and hope and her family, so even in hard time she can see there is something to look forward to. Walter at times appears selfish and defeated, in fact it is only when he is at his lowest that he realizes he still has his mother, his wife and children, and a family. He chooses to believe that he and his family can work through what ever problem occur because they have one another. These values allow Walter to develop strength of self and build respect from his family through his actions. Beneatha often seems only interested in how things affect her, and can be childish. It is only after she becomes familiar with Asiaga that she begins to see that the importance of her family and that even when problems arise she should try harder, instead of quitting.
- Flashbacks are used in Oedipus Rex to tell the back story behind the plot. This is where we learn of the killing of King Laius, Oedipus's father and the slain King of Thebes. This is how we learn of the prophecy that foretold that some day King Laius’ son would kill him and marry the kings wife, Jocasta. With out these vital clue the story would be incomplete and unclear. The characterization of Oedipus also lead to direction of the story. Behavior with Tiresias, even when the truth stares him in the face, Oedipus is dis blind to what has happened. Nothing is clear he is trapped in a fog, and it is not until it is too late that he is no longer blind to the events that have unfolded. The irony is that Oedipus is the true cause of his people’s suffering, as well as the fact that he has unwittingly fulfilled the prophetic vision, which he had lived in fear of years earlier.Walter’s mother Lena often thinks back to her deceased husband Walter Sr. She mentions, while he was not a perfect man, he did love his children very much and wanted them have dreams and be successful. This also foretells what Lena hopes for her family. Her character is made apparent by the care she gives to her small apartment, which she shares with her son, Walter, and his family, and her daughter, Beneatha. She keeps her home very clean and well cared for, even thought the furniture is quite old and the carpet stains on it. Walter is characterized by his struggle to rise above his self indulgence. He wants to be more than what he is, but without the hard work. Dramatic Irony in Walter’s case, is appearent when Willie runs off with all the money Lena gives him to invest in the Liquor store and the money for Beneatha’s college fund, but they still own the house that Lena bought. Also, Walter does not want to be like his father, who worked his whole life and still lived in poverty. Walter fails to realize his father’s belief in his children, Walter lee and Beneatha.Walter does eventually come to understand his father’s dream and his mother’s hopes for the future. In fact becomes More like his father in this way; he has grown in a profound way and The family move into the better neighborhood.