Saturday, January 25, 2020

Ensnared by the Gods in Oedipus Rex Essay -- Oedipus the King Oedipus

Ensnared by the Gods in Oedipus Rex      A citizen of Periclean Athens may not have been familiar with the term entrapment, but he or she would surely have recognized the case of Oedipus as such.   The tragedy of Oedipus is that he was ensnared by the gods.   As Teiresias points out, "I say that with those you love best you live in foulest shame unconsciouslyÃâ€"" (italics mine)   God is continuously indicted for having caused Oedipusà ­ troubles.   The chorus asks, "What evil spirit leaped upon your life to your ill-luckÃâ€"?"   And Oedipus himself is well aware of the source of his troubles:   "It was Apollo, friends, Apollo, that brought this bitter bitterness, my sorrows to completion."   Blinded and humiliated, Oedipus thanks Creon for bringing his daughters to him:   "God bless you for it, Creon, and may God guard you better on your road than he did me!" The Athenian audience probably did not obsess with the unfairness of it all.   Since the audience would have been well aware of the story and its details, the draw, and the entertainment would have been seeing the storyà ­s lessons portrayed in a way that emphasized   human failings, particularly the illusions that we hold concerning our mastery of affairs.   Oedipus himself is described as "masterful," yet watching his story, which we know so well, we find it dripping with irony at the kingà ­s every proud utterance.   In his argument with Teiresias, Oedipus accuses the seer of being "blind in mind and ears as well as in your eyes."   Teiresias responds that Oedipus is but a "Ãâ€"poor wretch to taunt me with the very insults which every one soon will heap upon yourself." Oedipus is indeed convinced of his own virtue, and why not?   As the play opens, the priest lavishes praise upon the k... ...ce of men reverence at least the flame that gives all life, our Lord the Sun, and do not show unveiled to him pollution such that neither land nor holy rain nor light of day can welcome." Oedipus, at the last, seems to concur in this acceptance of Godà ­s will.   When the Chorus suggests he "would be better dead than blind and living," Oedipus replies, "Ãâ€"ità ­s unfit to say what is unfit to do.   I beg of you in Godà ­s name hide me somewhere outside your country, yes, or kill me, or throw me into the seaÃâ€""   In other words, Godà ­s will be done.   Whatever our mortal designs, we are caught in a far greater design, or web, which can grab us and pull us down at any time.   As the play concludes, "Count no mortal happy till he has passed the final limit of his life secure from pain."   Or, as a modern ballplayer put it, "Donà ­t look back.   Something might be gaining on you."   

Friday, January 17, 2020

Deception Point Page 68

The answers he got were hard to swallow. Apparently the CIA had been prepared to move on this cell months before and was simply waiting for the high-res satellite photos so that they could plan a pinpoint attack on the terrorists' mountain hideout in Afghanistan. Those photos were scheduled to be taken by the $1.2 billion NRO satellite code-named Vortex 2, the same satellite that had been blown up on the launchpad by its NASA launch vehicle. Because of the NASA accident, the CIA strike had been postponed, and now Diana Pickering had died. Pickering's mind told him that NASA had not been directly responsible, but his heart found it hard to forgive. The investigation of the rocket explosion revealed that the NASA engineers responsible for the fuel injections system had been forced to use second-rate materials in an effort to stay on budget. â€Å"For nonmanned flights,† Lawrence Ekstrom explained in a press conference, â€Å"NASA strives for cost-effectiveness above all. In this case, the results were admittedly not optimal. We will be looking into it.† Not optimal. Diana Pickering was dead. Furthermore, because the spy satellite was classified, the public never learned that NASA had disintegrated a $1.2 billion NRO project, and along with it, indirectly, numerous American lives. â€Å"Sir?† Pickering's secretary's voice came over his intercom, startling him. â€Å"Line one. It's Marjorie Tench.† Pickering shook himself out of his daze and looked at his telephone. Again? The blinking light on line one seemed to pulse with an irate urgency. Pickering frowned and took the call. â€Å"Pickering here.† Tench's voice was seething mad. â€Å"What did she tell you?† â€Å"I'm sorry?† â€Å"Rachel Sexton contacted you. What did she tell you? She was on a submarine, for God's sake! Explain that!† Pickering could tell immediately that denying the fact was not an option; Tench had been doing her homework. Pickering was surprised she'd found out about the Charlotte, but she'd apparently thrown her weight around until she got some answers. â€Å"Ms. Sexton contacted me, yes.† â€Å"You arranged a pickup. And you didn't contact me?† â€Å"I arranged transport. That is correct.† Two hours remained until Rachel Sexton, Michael Tolland, and Corky Marlinson were scheduled to arrive at the nearby Bollings Air Force Base. â€Å"And yet you chose not to inform me?† â€Å"Rachel Sexton has made some very disturbing accusations.† â€Å"Regarding the authenticity of the meteorite†¦ and some kind of attack on her life?† â€Å"Among other things.† â€Å"Obviously, she is lying.† â€Å"You are aware she is with two others who corroborate her story?† Tench paused. â€Å"Yes. Most disturbing. The White House is very concerned by their claims.† â€Å"The White House? Or you personally?† Her tone turned razor sharp. â€Å"As far as you are concerned, director, there is no difference tonight.† Pickering was unimpressed. He was no stranger to blustering politicians and support staff trying to establish footholds over the intel community. Few put up as strong a front as Marjorie Tench. â€Å"Does the President know you're calling me?† â€Å"Frankly, director, I'm shocked that you would even entertain these lunatic ravings.† You didn't answer my question. â€Å"I see no logical reason for these people to lie. I have to assume they are either telling the truth, or they have made an honest mistake.† â€Å"Mistake? Claims of attacks? Flaws in the meteorite data that NASA never saw? Please! This is an obvious political ploy.† â€Å"If so, the motives escape me.† Tench sighed heavily and lowered her voice. â€Å"Director, there are forces at work here of which you might not be aware. We can speak about that at length later, but at the moment I need to know where Ms. Sexton and the others are. I need to get to the bottom of this before they do any lasting damage. Where are they?† â€Å"That is not information I am comfortable sharing. I will contact you after they arrive.† â€Å"Wrong. I will be there to greet them when they arrive.† You and how many Secret Service agents? Pickering wondered. â€Å"If I inform you of their arrival time and location, will we all have a chance to chat like friends, or do you intend to have a private army take them into custody?† â€Å"These people pose a direct threat to the President. The White House has every right to detain and question them.† Pickering knew she was right. Under Title 18, Section 3056 of the United States Code, agents of the U.S. Secret Service can carry firearms, use deadly force, and make â€Å"un-warranted† arrests simply on suspicion that a person has committed or is intending to commit a felony or any act of aggression against the president. The service possessed carte blanche. Regular detainees included unsavory loiterers outside the White House and school kids who sent threatening e-mail pranks. Pickering had no doubt the service could justify dragging Rachel Sexton and the others into the basement of the White House and keeping them there indefinitely. It would be a dangerous play, but Tench clearly realized the stakes were huge. The question was what would happen next if Pickering allowed Tench to take control. He had no intention of finding out. â€Å"I will do whatever is necessary,† Tench declared, â€Å"to protect the President from false accusations. The mere implication of foul play will cast a heavy shadow on the White House and NASA. Rachel Sexton has abused the trust the President gave her, and I have no intention of seeing the President pay the price.† â€Å"And if I request that Ms. Sexton be permitted to present her case to an official panel of inquiry?† â€Å"Then you would be disregarding a direct presidential order and giving her a platform from which to make a goddamn political mess! I will ask you one more time, director. Where are you flying them?† Pickering exhaled a long breath. Whether or not he told Marjorie Tench that the plane was coming into Bollings Air Force Base, he knew she had the means to find out. The question was whether or not she would do it. He sensed from the determination in her voice that she would not rest. Marjorie Tench was scared. â€Å"Marjorie,† Pickering said, with unmistakable clarity of tone. â€Å"Someone is lying to me. Of this I am certain. Either it is Rachel Sexton and two civilian scientists-or it is you. I believe it is you.† Tench exploded. â€Å"How dare-â€Å" â€Å"Your indignity has no resonance with me, so save it. You would be wise to know that I have absolute proof NASA and the White House broadcast untruths tonight.† Tench fell suddenly silent. Pickering let her reel a moment. â€Å"I'm not looking for a political meltdown any more than you are. But there have been lies. Lies that cannot stand. If you want me to help you, you've got to start by being honest with me.† Tench sounded tempted but wary. â€Å"If you're so certain there were lies, why haven't you stepped forward?† â€Å"I don't interfere in political matters.† Tench muttered something that sounded a lot like â€Å"bullshit.† â€Å"Are you trying to tell me, Marjorie, that the President's announcement tonight was entirely accurate?† There was a long silence on the line. Pickering knew he had her. â€Å"Listen, we both know this is a time bomb waiting to explode. But it's not too late. There are compromises we can make.† Tench said nothing for several seconds. Finally she sighed. â€Å"We should meet.† Touchdown, Pickering thought. â€Å"I have something to show you,† Tench said. â€Å"And I believe it will shed some light on this matter.†

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Subject Specific Curriculum Free Essay Example, 1000 words

An example of an early childhood approach to this type of learning could be the following: Similar to brainstorming techniques an "Exploration Center" could be set up as a box full of various objects and materials. The students are asked to look through the pile and pick out a few pieces, record their observations and/or questions about the objects and also the process of finding them. They can record this either though notes or a drawing or both. This would be followed by time sharing with the class what they have discovered (Best, 2007). The point here is not necessarily to be literally correct with what they have found or observed, but being actively engaged in the learning experience of inquiry and developing a technique for exploring their world. This process begins to lay down patterns in the mind for future use when researching more complex subjects. The learner is able to apply the skills used in processing, categorizing, observing and evaluating to all subjects in a similar fashion. Therefore, instead of simply recalling facts the student is able to evaluate them, compare them to past experience and project that information into future probabilities. We will write a custom essay sample on Subject Specific Curriculum or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now This type of thinking is what inquiry-based learning establishes and promotes in the student. It also can allow students to actively understand important items in their own lives, as this fifth grade classroom in the San Miguel School in Providence, RI discovered: For three weeks students put aside their textbooks, surveyed what they knew about pizza, raised questions about this topic, explored books and magazines, and interviewed a waitress at the local pizzeria. In addition, they searched the Web, actually made 16 pizzas in the school kitchen, sold the fruits of their labors, donated the profits to an anti-hunger organization, and wrote letters to their senator urging him to support anti-hunger legislation (Oehlkers & Ruple, 2007). In this example not only can one see how actively engaged the student is and the amount of knowledge that is gained, but how that experience becomes wider and wider until it reaches out to touch the world. There have been several positive indications in the research between the results of inquiry-based learning as opposed to the traditional educa tional system of education: Research shows that the amount of student learning that occurs in a classroom is directly proportional to the quality and quantity of student involvement in the educational program (Cooper and Prescott 1989).