Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Free Choice in Oedipus the King - Oracles and Prophecy :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Oedipus:   Oracles and Uncontrollable Fate  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   King Laios the ruler of Thebes, has a son with his wife Queen Iocoste. His name is Oedipus. The soothsayer Teiresias, a loyal servant to the King and Queen tells them some disturbing news. Teiresias tells King Laios and Queen Iocoste that their son, Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother. The king and queen make a decision to take the baby boy up to a mountain far away from the town. King Laios gives the baby to a servant and instructs him to bind the babies ankles and leave him on the mountain side to perish. The servant follows his instructions but instead of leaving the boy on the mountain side he gives him to a shepherd and makes him promise to take the boy to a far away place. This is how King Laios and Queen Iocaste try to avoid their fate. They are threatened by the existence of their son so they try to have him killed, to end their problem. However this plan, almost foolproof does not work. The shepherd brings the baby boy back to his city and gives him to King Polybus because the King and Queen could not have a child. Oedipus grows up as the son of Polybus and Merope. When Oedipus was a young man he was told that he was not his father’s son. He tires to dismiss this horrible accusation as that of a drunken man, but it always bothered him. One day Oedipus decides to go to the Oracle to see his knowledge of Oedipus’ birth. The oracle tells Oedipus his fate is the death of his father by his own hands and that he will marry his mother. He does not answer the original question Oedipus asked as to who his true parents are. Upon hearing this Oedipus decides to leave the city and never return as long as his parents (Polybus, Merope) are still alive. Oedipus is running from his fate as he leaves the city and heads far from there. On his travel down the road he encounters a chariot drawn by horses and they force him off the road, and as the charioteer went by Oedipus hits him, the man swings back. Oedipus hits him with a blow that knocks him out of the chariot, and the man falls dead to the ground.

Pulp Fiction

Discussing intertextuality in the movie â€Å"Pulp Fiction†, means not only taking into consideration Quentin Tarantino’s â€Å"text†, his vision; but also the whole culture that influenced the director. Pulp Fiction is a gangster movie, and obviously Tarantino was lured by detective, crime fiction novels like the Modesty Blaise (a spy fiction novel by Peter O’Donnel published in 1965), which in the movie is being read in the toilet by Vega (actor John Travolta). Butch’s double cross of Marsellus reminds the viewer of Dashiell Hammet’s novel, Red Harvest (1929). The main character from this novel blackmails a boxer into â€Å"unfixing† a fixed fight. ( The original title of the movie was supposed to be Black Mask, which was a pulp magazine popular in 1930 for its detective stories. Even the food eaten by the characters belongs to a pop culture; there are scenes where a box of cereals called Fruite Brute appears (which was canceled in 1983). The graphic of the movie reminds of the pulp culture, and there is a motive from the drug culture; all the clocks in the movie are set at 4:20, especially the clock from the pawnshop. Another text which inspired the director in creating some scenes from the movie was, as strange as it may appear for a gangster movie; a biblical passage, more precisely Ezekiel 25:17. This passage is recited in the film by Jules during his executions and this makes Jules’s character show up as the victim not as a vicious killer. The film’s title, â€Å"Pulp Fiction† reveals the entire culture from witch it was born. Pulp fiction refers to the cheap fiction magazines (mainly detective fiction) which were published from the 1920 s through the 1950 s. These magazines included a wide variety of genre: fiction, fantasy, detective, science fiction, westerns, war, horror, sport. Tarantino succeeded in uniting almost all these genres in his masterpiece. Quentin Tarantino included in his films his own pop objects like big Kashuna Burger, red apple cigarettes and other elements; and eventually â€Å"Pulp Fiction† itself became an icon of the pop culture. The posted lyrics use the leitmotiv of the young maiden who is seduced and murdered (raped) by a young charismatic man who attracts and is followed with enthusiasm (a â€Å"pied piper† the mysterious traveler who agrees to help a town get rid of a ). J. carol Oates wrote â€Å"Where are you going? Where have you been?† inspired by the murders from Tucson of Charles Schmid (an article published in Life Magazine) and by the Bob Dylan’s song â€Å"It’s all over now, baby blue†. The posted lyrics contain elements like: seduction unconscious forces, violence, rape which are typical in Oates story WGWB. Her work mix Gothic alienation with a subtle social observation. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_Are_You_Going%2C_Where_Have_You_Been%3F) Flannery O’Connor wrote about Southern protestant characters who suffer great transformations. Their transformation is gained through comical behavior in the quest of the holy, violence and pain. Somehow her characters seem to have been touched by a spiritual grace. The author is ironic, and there is a clear discrepancy between the characters’ bounded perceptions and the awful fate awaiting them.   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flannery_O%27Connor) The characters depicted in O’Connor stories and in pulp fiction fight for a cause, they endure pain and if necessary become violent, but in the end there is the gruesome understanding of the wrong conception they had about society, religion, culture (for example in O’Connor’s novel â€Å"Wise Blood†, the protagonist is a spiritually confused who in the end realizes that he was wrong in his conceptions). O’Connor’s short stories describe again powerless people that can not fight against faith and are destined to suffer. Violence brings in certain characters from Pulp Fiction and O’Connor characters the answer to all their wonders and frustrations. Bibliography: Pulp Fiction,   Wikipedia The Free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulp_Fiction_%28film%29 Flannery O'Connor, Wikepedia The Free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flannery_O%27Connor ; ; ; ;

Demand And Supply Of Oil Prices - 2413 Words

The sporadic nature of oil prices has over the years posed as a great deal of concern to economists, investors, financiers, consumers, analysts and other relevant stakeholders. In a perfect market, the price of a commodity is an indication of the present circumstances as well as future signals that could impact demand and supply. Ordinarily, we expect prices of commodities to move in response to changes that affect demand and supply at a relatively ‘normal’ rate. When prices change drastically within a short period and consistently over time, then such market is fraught with high volatility – a typical case of the crude oil market. A sudden increase in oil price becomes a concern for the consumer as it results into a reduction in his purchasing power; thereby struggling with allocation of income among competing demands. For an investor, high price volatility increases risk associated with the investment and also creates uncertainties. High volatility will impact the macroeconomic variables in an economy including but not limited to unemployment, inflation, consumption, investment and industrial output (Ebrahim, Inderwildi et al. 2014a). This paper seeks to evaluate oil price volatility by examining the trend of oil price from 1970 to 2013. Attempts will be made to explain the causes and root factors influencing price changes. Finally, a view on whether oil price volatility is inevitable will be established. Annual U.S. Imported Crude Oil Prices Nominal vs.Show MoreRelatedDemand And Supply Of Oil Prices1152 Words   |  5 PagesCrude Oil Industry is central to United State, its future and the world economy. Demand and Supply fundamentals have traditionally determined the price of crude oil. New price drivers have emerged with time. Complexity is on an increase in the oil market, having impact on the oil prices with a variety of factors. 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OPECs actions have a strong influence on prices becauseRead MoreSupply and Demand - Example of Oil Price1384 Words   |  6 Pageshttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7048600.stm Wednesday, 2 January 2008, 22:36 GMT What is driving oil prices so high? Oil prices have hit a record high at $100 a barrel. Prices have doubled from the rates seen in January 2007 and more than quadrupled since 2002. What factors are causing this unremitting increase and what are the likely consequences for consumers and the global economy? What is causing the latest price spike? 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More frightening still, this situation may get worse before it come back to normal. No one can exactly predict when the pendulum will soon swing back again since all uncertain factors existing. From the supply side of view, the OPEC is the main producer, being prepared to add or subtract productionRead MoreThe Core Concepts Of Economics1241 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction The two factors Demand and Supply are the core concepts of economics. Demand states the quantity of a product one requires to fulfill his needs at particular price stand. On the other hand supply refers market offering of a product at specific price level. There are numerous constituents that affect the Demand of a product. For example Price, availability of alternative products in market, price of the alternative products, buyers’ income, buyers’ purchasing power parity, number ofRead MoreWhy The Price Of Filling Up Has Been Going Down1252 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction: This article â€Å"Why the Price of Filling Up Has Been Going Down† written by Alan Neuhauser stated that back in 2012. The article analyse fighters with the Islamic State group have seized oil fields, huge swathes of territory and major cities in Iraq and Syria, threatening oil supplies. On normal situation, this is going to threaten markets as it is threaten the supply of oil. Despite of the global unrest the prices at the pump in US are currently at their lowest levels in the year ofRead MoreThe Economic Impact On The Economy995 Words   |  4 PagesOil is a huge part of everyone’s everyday life. From transportation to heating homes and businesses, oil prices are always dramatically changing due to the constant change of supply and demand. The economic impact that the price of oil has on the U.S economy continues to rise and fall due to political instability. Americans especially have a heavy reliance on oil, especially on foreign origins. The increasing price of o il has spiked large concerns and has become a major global debate. Many sources