If Only

If you have ever been pulled over by a police officer for speeding, your immediate response should be something like, "Oh my god officer, I am sooooo sorry. I hadn't seen a posted speed limit for a while." To which, the unjust officer would most likely respond, "Ignorance is not an excuse, young lady."

Now, my mom once told me if I was ever in this situation that I should bite my tongue and resist the urge to argue. However, that is just not in my character. If indeed I was ever faced with this situation, I would consider it my duty to give the cops of the world a piece of my mind.

Ignorance should very well be an excuse. And I am prepared to argue my point to any officer who will listen. For instance, if you genuinely have no idea what the speed limit is, how can you be punished for exceeding it!? If something does not exist, it cannot be exceeded, right? I know it may seem strange that I am rattling on about cops and tickets when the blog assignment was to discuss some aspect of the story of Oedipus the king. I am getting there.

Oedipus' ignorance is the way in which I can identify with him. The way I see it this poor guy does everything in his power to evade his tragic fate and thus puts himself in the perfect position to fulfill it. The irony is undeniable. Although Oedipus does indeed kill his father and share a bed with his mother, I can't blame him and I definitely don't see why he is condemned to blindness and suffering. He has no idea he's doing it! I know Freud was brought up in class and some students mentioned that perhaps he was aware of his actions subconsciously. I do not believe that this is the class. Despite what Freud may say, I am unconvinced that within every boy is a repressed desire to kill his father and sleep with his mother.

Oedipus had every intention of doing the right thing and just stumbled across some unfortunate plot twists. His situation is directly comparable to that of a speedy driver's behind the wheel. While they have no intention of breaking the law or any knowledge that they are doing so, they are still punished with a ticket. It makes no sense to me.

Although I do not feel that certain consequences are suitable, I am a firm believer in the power of destiny. I recently saw a movie called “If Only” that reinforced this belief. In this movie, Ian Wyndam is working on a proposal for a gene therapy company that explains his method of genetic testing prior to birth that will enable doctors to cure diseases by altering genetic make ups. Upon hearing his proposal, his girlfriend tells him that the sick will still suffer, the old will still get older, and the children of the world will still die needlessly. To me she is telling him that no matter what course we choose, the destination is always achieved. Fate cannot be fought as people like Iocasta would like to believe.

Therefore, let ignorance be excused and let consequences vanish because regardless of the present, karma and fate will serve their purpose in the end.

When You Are Old

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,

And nodding by the fire, take down this book,

And slowly read, and dream of the soft look

Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,

And loved your beauty with love false or true,

But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,

And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

And bending down beside the glowing bars,

Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled

And paced upon the mountains overhead

And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

--William Butler Yeats

Bug Liiife

First off, I would like to illustrate how much i loved this story! I started reading it the day it was assigned and couldn't put it down. So there I was, all tucked in and ready for bed thinking I would only read ten pages or so before I fell asleep, when suddenly I found myself captivated by a story about an insect. I'm sure you can tell by the way I talk about this story in class that I am very sympathetic towards Gregor. I actually cried so much during the end of the story that my vision fogged up and I had to stop to regain my composure.

Enough about me. This story is significant because it describes an unlikely physical transformation in the place of a very common emotional transformation. Gregor, like many other stressed out, suppressed working people has given up his identity for his profession and therefore has become as disposable as a dung beetle. Coincidentally, his job and his family are intimately linked. Gregor is forced into the role of "bread winner" when his parents find themselves indebted to his employer. Gregor's mother, father, and sister then proceed to take advantage of his kindness until one day they wake up to a Gregor that is no longer able to perform his expected duties.

Once Gregor's transformation is complete, Kafka's story focuses in on a different transformation--that of his family. Without Gregor's assisstance, his parents and sister finally have to face the real world. They have to get jobs and earn a living after many years of living in an alternate reality in which everything was handed to them. I believe that Kafka circles in on the family's pitfalls as a critique on the way that our society is constantly searching for a faster, easier way to do things. Appreciation is so lost in our day to day lives that we often forget how lost we would be without someone to lean on.

What is upsetting about this story is that Gregor's mom, dad, and sister never truly realize how invaluable Gregor is to them. As his last act of kindness, Gregor wills himself to die so as to discontinue his burden on the family. Instead of thanking Gregor for his thoughtfulness, the family doubts that he can even understand what they're saying and they begin to loathe how long they put up with the charade that this hideous insect could actually be their son and brother. The story ends with a sigh of relief from mom, dad, and sister as they look forward to their life following the tragedy that they just endured. What meanies!

Therefore, I am going to end my blog by saying that I strongly dislike this family and I couldn't be more happy that I will never turn into an insect and have to endure what Gregor did.

R.I.P. Gregor.

Ivan Ilych's Non-Death

By mixing up the chronology of “The Death of Ivan Ilych,” Tolstoy utilizes irony by contrasting Ivan’s perspectives with those of his “acquaintances.” Initially in the story, Ivan’s closest friends and family gather apathetically for his wake. Ivan’s wife is distant and unaffected by his death. She even goes so far as to inquire how much money she stands to inherit now that Ivan has died. Even Peter Ivanovich, Ivan’s supposed best friend, only goes to the wake to fulfill his societal obligations. Reading this first section of the story, I was under the impression that Ivan Ilych was surrounded by unappreciative, false people. However, later evidence shows Ivan to be an unlikable man who had earned his unfortunate status within his community.

As Ivan began to tell his side of the story, it seemed that my suspicions were being confirmed. He speaks of cravings for money and power and he is constantly driven by a hatred of his wife to remove himself from his home and stay at work longer. It was not as if he was forced into a marriage with her and had to suffer the consequences. Rather, he chose her because she “came of a good family, was not bad-looking, and had some little property.” (70) His reasons were shallow and based on his undying need to appear a certain way and attain a level of propriety. Instead of dealing with the “unpleasantness” of his home life, Ivan chooses both an ignorant and blissful life as he works his way up the social ladder.

The irony of the story surfaces when Ivan is treated with the same condescension and disrespects that he has employed as a way of dealing with those below him. His doctors lie to his face, his daughter would rather spend time with her fiancée, and his wife is constantly concerned that her lifestyle will drastically change without her husband’s income. With a little dose of his own medicine, so to speak, Ivan undergoes a spiritual makeover. However, his transformation is entirely internalized. Thus, his friends and family are unable to witness any change in his demeanor.

Ivan’s spiritual awakening, not his actual death, is the climax of the story. This is another reason why Tolstoy wrote the story with his death occurring in the first scene. The focal point is not whether or not he will die but rather, in what way will he depart the earth. As Ivan’s soul exits his decaying body, he realizes that his death is over. He is done suffering and he has finally attained the personal satisfaction that he longed for.