Uncertainty of the Dionysian Tradition Euripides’ Bacchae - Literature Essay Samples

Dionysos exists in a realm of contradictions and fluidity between binaries. Though a god, he appears in the bestial forms of a snake, bull, and lion, in addition to that of a human. Dionysos is a male god, yet has long, blonde, perfumed hair and red cheeks (273). He has the force and energy of a young man, yet the tenderness and charm of a female (416). He is Greek, but hails from barbarian Asia (18). An eternal youth, Dionysos lives between adulthood and childhood. While Dionysos exists comfortably between binaries, Pentheus’ movement from one opposite to another is disastrous. Throughout Euripides’ Bacchae, the antagonist, king Pentheus, undergoes a gentle transition from the binaries held in the beginning of the play to their opposites by the time of his death. This transition reaches completion in the fifth choral ode by the Lydian maenads (lines 1113-1159), which immediately precedes Pentheus’ murder by his own mother, Agaue. Each of Pentheus’ transit ions prior to death from adult to child, human to animal, hunter to hunted, and man to woman – affect the way viewers judge Pentheus’ murder at the hands of his mother, suspending viewers in their own sort of binary between outrage at and acceptance of this filicide. Euripides’ illumination of the potential dangers of Dionysos hinges on Agaue’s unsettling filicide, allowing Euripides to leave his viewers in a realm of uncertainty regarding the benevolence of the newly arrived god and the role that the Dionysian religion will play in Greek culture. Pentheus is characterized as increasingly youthful throughout the play in order to emphasize the power differential between him and his mother, which leads viewers to feel outrage at his murder and to fear the Dionysian cult. The first characterization of Pentheus as a youth occurs early in the Bacchae (321) and as Pentheus continues to spurn Dionysos’ divinity, Pentheus’ transition to childhood progresses further. A 44-line stichomythia between Pentheus and Dionysos follows later in the play, where Pentheus’ childishness is highlighted through his acquiescence to Dionysos and praise of the god’s suggestions (919-963), which characterizes Pentheus as slightly naà ¯ve and worthy of sympathy. This increased sympathy of viewers for Pentheus and underlining of Pentheus’ young age makes the power differential between he and Agaue blatantly clear, and adds to the horrific nature of the filicide to follow. In the fifth choral ode by the Lydian maenads, which portends Pentheus’ death, Dionysos claims that he brings â€Å"†¦this youth / To the great contest.†[1] Dionysos finalizes Pentheus’ figurative transition to childhood by referring to him, unequiv ocally, as a ‘youth.’ The use of the word ‘contest’ also seems odd given the scenario, but alludes to an underlying ephebic tradition in Greek culture, where adolescents would successfully complete a hunt. This contest is a â€Å"†¦task of the ephebe (youth between eighteen and twenty) before achieving full warrior status† (Notes 1044-1105). Viewers of this play surely would have been familiar with this ephebic ritual and could sympathize with Pentheus for his failure of this crucial test of manhood due to his murder by Agaue which viewers understand to be the result of Dionysos’ control over her. Likewise, Dionysos’ enforcing of the power differential between Pentheus and Agaue due to Pentheus’ youthful characterization adds to viewer outrage at Agaue’s filicide. Through Euripides’ manipulation of viewer sympathy for Pentheus and viewer outrage as his death, Euripides highlights to his viewers the dangerous breakdown of familial ties that may result from the Dionysian religion. On the other hand, Pentheus’ transition from human characterization to animal characterization leaves viewers in an uncertain middle ground of support and fear of the Dionysian religion. The animal-based lineages proposed by the maenadic chorus in the fifth ode obscure the relationship between Pentheus and Agaue, yet draw new lineal connections between Pentheus and Dionysos. This obscurity leads viewers to consider Agaue’s filicide of Pentheus less horrific, yet the new lineal connections have the opposite effect, placing viewers in an uncertain middle ground b etween acceptance and outrage. Prior to the fifth ode, the only significant mentioning of Pentheus’ descent was given by the maenadic chorus in the third ode: â€Å"He is descended from / A dragon, fathered by earth- / Born Ekhion as a monster† (632-634). Thus, Pentheus is attributed to serpentine descent, just like Dionysos (Notes 630-638), who was born with the horns of a bull and a crown of snakes (128). The maenadic chorus then claims in the fifth ode that Pentheus was born â€Å"†¦from a lioness, /Or he’s descended from the Libyan Gorgons† (1126-1127). ‘Gorgons’ refer to the three sisters, Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, who had snakes for hair, yet have no connection with Ekhion. Therefore, the fifth ode’s claim to Pentheus’ Gorgon lineage is different from the third ode’s Ekhion lineage, which is an odd contradiction of a previous lineage story, which already served to contradict Pentheus’ lineal connectio n to his mother, Agaue. The fifth ode’s mention of descent from a lioness is odd, as well, given that this is the first time such a descent is introduced for Pentheus and this unsupported claim is complicated shortly after when the chorus then appeals for Dionysos to â€Å"Appear as a bull! As a snake / With many heads, for us to see you! / As a lion with a mane of fire† (1153-1155). The connection between Pentheus’ and Dionysos’ serpentine lineages was pre-existing to the fifth ode, but the lion connection is proposed for the first time in this passage. Given that Dionysos often appears in the form of a lion, it is appropriate to question whether they hail from the same ‘lioness.’ Thus, the obscurities of Pentheus’ descent due to animal connections begin to pile on top of each other, dehumanizing Pentheus, and blurring the relationship between him and his mother. This makes his death at the hands of Agaue more palatable to viewers of the tragedy, as Agaueâ₠¬â„¢s filicide is less pronounced. Although, the implication that Dionysos could share a common lion lineage with Pentheus – and, thus, be of the same blood places Dionysos in Agaue’s role, refocusing the viewer on the reality of the filicide to follow. Therefore, Euripides suspends viewers between outrage at and acceptance of Agaue’ filicide through his inclusion of the choral ode’s discussion of animal lineage. The animal that remains to be addressed is the bull. The chorus does not explicitly refer to Pentheus as a bull in the fifth ode because Pentheus metaphorically serves a bull-victim role in a seldom seen Dionysian sacrificial ceremony; Pentheus’ posthumous connection to the bull serves to demonstrate his movement from hunted to hunter, creating additional viewer sympathy for Pentheus due to the helpless victim role to which he is assigned by Euripides. While Pentheus intended to â€Å"†¦hunt down†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (266) Dionysos’ maenads and is still characterized as the â€Å"†¦hunter of Bakkhai† (1157) in the fifth ode, the maenadic chorus claims that Pentheus â€Å"†¦falls now under the trampling herd/ Of the maenads† (1158-1159). Clearly, the hunter to hunted binary transition has reached completion and this ironic circumstance evokes some form of sympathy for Pentheus. His role is not just one of a hunted human being, but rather a sacrific ed beast. In the final scene of the play, as Agaue holds the murdered body of Pentheus in her arms, she unknowingly claims that she killed a â€Å"†¦young bull-calf† (1340). According to the Introduction by Charles Segal, the bull was the traditional sacrificial animal of the City Dionysia in Athens and, thus, Euripides posthumously offers an implicit explanation of his death as one of sacrifice to the god Dionysos. In this scenario, Agaue sacrificed Pentheus to Dionysos and his helpless role as a sacrificial victim serves to draw viewer sympathy and create outrage at his murder by Agaue. Although, from a viewer’s perspective, both Pentheus’ and Agaue’s ends are quite tragic; both were seduced to madness by Dionysos and placed into a metaphorical sacrificial ceremony, leaving Pentheus dead and Agaue wishing she were dead. This horrific end demonstrates that not only those who refuse to worship Dionysos (Pentheus), but even those who do (Agaue), will experience the dissolution of familial ties due to the Dionysian religion. Pentheus’ change in appearance from man to woman, and the pseudo-maenad role in which this places him, illuminates the inevitable success of the Dionysian religion. Pentheus’ unavoidable madness is first foreshadowed by Dionysos when he claims that if Pentheus â€Å"†¦drives / His chariot off the road of sanity†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (971-972), he will wear women’s clothes. After carefully manipulating Pentheus into donning women’s clothes (940), Dionysos refers to Pentheus as the â€Å"†¦man who mimics woman / The madman†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1116-1117). As a woman in appearance, and having been deemed ‘mad’ by Dionysos, Pentheus has figuratively completed his transition to maenadic (literally ‘mad woman’) status. As a pseudo-maenad , Pentheus does precisely what maenads do: he leaves the city and travels to the forest, placing him in reach of his mother and leading to his sacrificial filicide. While Dionysos’ seducing of his followers to madness is unsettling enough for viewers, the inevitability of this transition for anyone who does not follow Dionysos (i.e. Pentheus) leads viewers of the Bacchae to fear the overwhelming power of the new god. More so, it is Dionysos’ imposed madness on Pentheus and Agaue that leads to the horrific filicide to follow, causing viewers to fear what they may consider to be the inevitable consequences of Dionysos’ presence in Greece. While many Athenian viewers of Euripides’ Bacchae may have found the ambiguous nature of Dionysos who exists comfortably between strict binaries – quite unsettling in itself, the most horrifying part for many viewers would likely be Agaue’s filicide of Pentheus. Pentheus’ movement from each binary to its opposite serves either to enforce feelings of outrage at or acceptance of this heinous filicide. While most viewers would certainly feel immediate outrage at Agaue’s filicide, those who found themselves persuaded in the opposite direction – perhaps due to the maenads dehumanizing Pentheus obscuring his lineal ties to his mother – may realize the absurdity of their acceptance of a mother murdering her son. Euripides composed his Bacchae in such a way that any Athenian viewer, regardless of their relationship to the Dionysian tradition, would feel some form of discomfort with the events of the tragedy. Euripides presents viewers with a sophisticated portrait of the dangers that the Dionysian religion posed to Athenian culture, communicated primarily through Agaue’s appalling act of filicide. Euripides makes it overwhelmingly clear that Dionysos’ fluidity overwhelms Pentheus’ rigidity and that his Athenian viewers should expect the same phenomenon to occur in their society.

Native American And Native Americans - 1137 Words

Native American Displacement Long ago on the great plains, the buffalo roamed and the Native Americans lived amongst each other. They were able to move freely across the lands until the white men came and concentrated them into certain areas. Today there are more than five-hundred different tribes with different beliefs and history. Native Americans still face problems about the horrific history they went through and today s discrimination. The removal of American Indian tribes is one of the most tragic events in American history. There are many treaties that have been signed by American representatives and people of Indian tribes that guaranteed peace and the values of the Indian territories. The treaties were to assure that fur trade would continue without interruption. The American people wanting Indian land has led to violent conflict between the two. Succeeding treaties usually forced the tribes to give up their land to the United States government. There were laws made for Native American Displacement tha t didn’t benefit the Native Americans, these laws still have long lasting effects on them today, and there was a huge number of Native Americans killed for many reasons. Cultural differences between the English and Native Americans took a toll of the Native American population. Throughout the Northeast, making scalps out of the ‘redskins’ was very common during the war times. Colonists were paid for every Native they killed. for a scalp of a male adult it wasShow MoreRelatedNative American And Native Americans1221 Words   |  5 Pages1607, the Native Americans have been treated poorly by the Europeans. The settlers came and stripped the Natives of their land by wars that the Natives were not equipped to fight. Native Americans were forced to move towards the west into uncharted territory and many died on the journey. The American government later made many promises to the Native Americans that were unkept, which had a very troubling effect on their communities. The promises the United States government made to the Native AmericansRead MoreNative American And Native Americans871 Words   |  4 Pages Native Americans have been forced o ut of their culture over time, forced into assimilation, lost their rights, and have lost their land due to policies and laws by the whites that can’t bear the Native American way of life. There used to be many Native American tribes all throughout North America, and now these tribes are spread across the country and are blended into the rest of the population. The native ways have changed drastically in the last two centuries due to relocation programs, IndianRead MoreNative American And Native Americans1292 Words   |  6 PagesStates, Native Americans are considered to be people whose pre-Columbian ancestors were indigenous to the lands within the nation s modern boundaries. These peoples were composed of numerous distinct tribes, bands, and ethnic groups, and many of these groups survive intact today as sovereign nations. The terms Native Americans use to refer to themselves vary regionally and generationally, with many older Native Americans self-identifying as Indians or American Indians, while younger Native AmericansRead MoreNative American And Native Americans1187 Words   |  5 Pagesmany Native American had already been there and the government were building railroads and roads. People rushed to settle in the west to mine for gold. Cities and town along with railroad and roads building at a rapid pace changed the habits of the buffalo. Buffalo were an important symbol in the Native Americans live they used buffalo as their main food source and they use the skin to make clothes and teepee covering , bones for silverware and hunting tools like arrow. The Native Americans makeRead MoreNative American And The American Of Native Americans1451 Words   |  6 PagesThe Native American population has suffered many tragedies at the hands of the United States government, from their first interactions through the mid-twentieth century. Government policies concerning American Indians worked in conjunction with the prejudices harbored by the majority o f the white population in the United States to suppress Native American liberties and strip them of their cultural identity. These policies gave little to no regard for Native American customs, personal expression,Read MoreNative American And Native Americans950 Words   |  4 Pages countries went through imperialism, reconstruction and wars to pursuit their freedom. Native American’s embarked on new discoveries in America, which began conflicts with White Americans wanting control over what Native American had. Native Americans believed in freedom for the nation, but things began to change for them, when White American passed the Indians removal act. African American and Native American had similar experiences to pursuit their freedom. Both races were treated like they didn’tRead MoreNative American And Native Americans1156 Words   |  5 Pageswith the Native Americans. The whites had different ideas that they wanted to contribute to the country, and the Native Am ericans wanted to stay loyal to their cultural traditions. The early people of the United States gradually gained control of the country. This lead to Native Americans being methodically pushed off their land, deceived multiply through a broken treaty, and most of all, not being completely recognized as citizens by the rest of American society. Some of these Native American groupsRead MoreNative American And Native Americans2248 Words   |  9 PagesThe Native Americans, their origin and similarities with Native Finns Native Americans, the first settlers of the Americas arrived to the continent about 15 000 years ago. Crossing a land bridge between Asia and America during the ice age. It was not just one group that spread across the continent, but small groups of migrants for a long time period. The land bridge which the migrants used to cross between the continents does not exist today, but is instead known as the Bering Strait. All of theRead MoreNative American And Native Americans1832 Words   |  8 Pagessettlements and still maintain a sense of self and native cultural identity. Many of the hardships experienced by the Native American Indians were the results of empty promises made by European settlers who used foreign laws, religion, and language barriers to oppress those Indians who were willing to conform. Later, and further into the development of the United States, foreign laws and languages were used as a premise to manipulate the Native Americans into giving up their promised lands so big businessesRead MoreNative American And Native Americans2251 Words   |  10 Pageshistorical evidence, the notion: â€Å"Native –Americans were not the first inhabitant of America is a complete false. For centuries, history kept accurate and vivid account of the first set of people who domiciled the western hemisphere. Judging by that record and evidence, below are the first set of Native-American people who inhabited the western hemisphere, including the new â€Å"America† before the arrival of another human race†¦ The Iroquois: The Iroquois of Native Americans were one of the tribes that lived

Essay on Sexuality/Textuality in Tristram Shandy - 8792 Words

Rice University Sexuality/Textuality in Tristram Shandy Author(s): Dennis W. Allen Reviewed work(s): Source: Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, Vol. 25, No. 3, Restoration and Eighteenth Century (Summer, 1985), pp. 651-670 Published by: Rice University Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/450501 . Accessed: 16/12/2012 06:30 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and†¦show more content†¦100), both of which allow man to perceive the eternal measures of right and wrong (p. 102). The sermons epistemology is firmly grounded in the existence of both God and a set of eternal verities, and the dictates of both can be determined by examining the revealed word of the Bible or the internal voice of reason; the two are compatible. Such an epistemology assumes the stability of language. Even if word and thing are not identical, they are intrinsically linked, revealing a unity of signifier and signified.2 Language, whether in the form of the interior speech of reason or transcribed into the written symbols of the word of God which constitute the Bible, can adequately convey eternal truths. By extension, even language not used to discuss Truth is stable; even the words which signify abstractions have a precise, if not always easily restateable, signified. Thus Tristram can assert, as he begins to recount Uncle Tobys amours, that he is not obliged to give a definition of love but can simply proceed with the help of the word itself, without any other idea to it, than what I have in common with rest of the world (p.

Anomaly free essay sample

Its a family tradition to go to dinner at my grandmothers house for all major holidays. After the meal ends, the youngest children retreat to the basement to play game cube, while the remainder of my family withdraws to the living room. For several years, I would remain at the empty dinner table, reading whatever book had caught my interest. Ill never forget the day that this all changed. My aunt came into the dinning room, sat across from me and proceeded to share some loving words. Staring at me intently, she said, Shut that book and talk to me before I hit you with this fork! My aunt might as well have held my head underwater and told me to take a deep breath. Much to the despair of my garrulous family, not once have I felt the need to question my quiet disposition. Ive been content to remain the attentive listener, saying nothing, but hearing everything. We will write a custom essay sample on Anomaly or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page With this contentment came the wonderful, incessant, and false accusations that I was antisocial. To which I responded with a silent smile. There was a time when I foolishly believed that my family would accept my preference for muteness; however, they seem to believe that I truly desire continuous harassment to encourage me to speak. In my opinion, Im the only one who has adapted well to the familial talkativeness. What would be the point of all these voices if there werent someone to shut up and listen? My silence isnt the only thing my family finds perplexing. Im the odd one who screamed NO! at 1am, because an anime character was horrifically killed. Tits just a cartoon, my sister had insisted. After which, a pillow managed to fly and hit her on the head, in hopes that some sense would be knocked in to it. Im also the strange one who suffered separation anxiety when my beloved computer, Steve, was shipped off to Dell for repairs. Im the weird one who transitions to a nocturnal b iorhythm during the summer, so I can listen to music, read, and write without the presence of my dear siblings, who seem to think that if I want to be alone they should come near me and make as much noise as possible. My family doesnt completely misunderstand all of my oddities. Theyre well aware that my happy place is sitting in one of the black comfy chairs within Borders, specifically one that is outside of the manga/comic/graphic novel aisles. Ive realized that reading a book of any greater length would make it extremely difficult for my parents to pry me from the chair. Fortunately, complete understanding is not needed, and as they learn to accept my eccentricities, I have hope that one day I will be able to remain silent without being threatened with eating utensils.

Prior to 1959, faulty equipment was the probable c Essays

CRM Prior to 1959, faulty equipment was the probable cause for many airplane accidents, but with the advent of jet engines, faulty equipment became less of a threat, while human factors gained prominence in accident investigations (Kanki, Helmreich Anca, 2010). From 1959 to 1989, pilot error was the cause of 70% of accident resulting in the loss of hull worldwide (Kanki, Helmreich Anca, 2010). Due to these alarming statistics, in 1979 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) implemented a workshop called "Resource Management on the Flightdeck" that led to what is now known as Crew Resource Management (CRM) or also known as Cockpit Resource Management (Rodrigues Cusick, 2012). CRM is a concept that has been attributed to reducing human factors as a probable cause in aviation accidents. The concepts of CRM weren't widely accepted by the aviation industry, but through its history, concepts, and eventual implementation, Crew Resource Management has become an invaluable resource for pilots as well as other unrelated industries around the world. Over the course of the thirty years spanning from 1959 to 1979 there were many incidents that led to a need for a system to reduce human factors in major accidents, but in the seventies, there were some significant accidents that highlighted a need for action. A very notable crash was the Eastern Airlines Flight 401 on December 29, 1972. The flight was making their approach in Miami when the landing gear light would not illuminate. All members of the flight crew attempted to troubleshoot the problem with the autopilot on. Air Traffic Control (ATC) instructed the pilot to divert away from the airport at 2000 feet while they figured out the issue. The autopilot function.

Dont Be Despondent Over Slough and Slew

Dont Be Despondent Over Slough and Slew Don’t Be Despondent Over Slough and Slew Don’t Be Despondent Over Slough and Slew By Maeve Maddox The spelling slough represents two meanings and two distinct pronunciations. 1. slough (rhymes with now) noun: soft, miry, muddy ground. This is the kind of slough that John Bunyan describes in his allegory, The Pilgrim’s Progress: Now I saw in my dream, that, just as they [Christian and Pliable] had ended this talk, they drew nigh to a very miry Slough that was in the midst of the plain; and they, being heedless, did both fall suddenly into the bog; the name of the Slough was Despond. Here, therefore, they wallowed for a time, being grievously bedaubed with the dirt; and Christian, because of the burden that was on his back, began to sink in the mire. 2. slough (rhymes with muff) noun: of a serpent or similar reptile, the cast-off skin. verb: to cast or shed the skin. Often used figuratively: Putin, like Yeltsin, is constantly looking for ways to  slough off responsibility  for  his  decisions and their consequences- RussiaLost in Transition, by Liliia Fedorovna Shevtsova. Slew, sometimes spelled slue, has more than one meaning. The verb slew originated as a nautical term meaning â€Å"to turn a thing round upon its own axis, or without shifting it from its place. Slewed became nautical slang for â€Å"drunk† and a slew-foot was â€Å"a clumsy person who walks with feet turned out.† In Texas folklore, Pecos Bill marries a woman named â€Å"Slue-Foot Sue.† The usual modern meaning of slew as a verb is â€Å"to turn a thing around on its own axis.† Here’s an example from fiction: Near the top of the ramp a motorist in a gray Toyota panicked, slamming into the car behind it. Chrome and plastic hanging from its front, it  slewed around  blocking both lanes, effectively cutting off the Aviator. Robert Ludlums (TM) The Bourne Betrayal, Eric Van Lustbader. As a noun, slew means â€Å"a very large number† or â€Å"a great amount.† For example: Baltimore City legislators  prepare  for new Annapolis session with  a slew of  bills.  City Paper, Baltimore. A less common use of slew (also spelled slue) is in reference to â€Å"a marshy or reedy pool, pond, small lake, backwater, or inlet,† as in this description of a journey along the upper Mississippi River: A continual variation of scene now opened to the view, marred only by an occasional ungraceful slew or marsh Some American speakers conflate the spelling and pronunciation of the words slough (miry ground) and slew (wetlands). They take their cue from Merriam-Webster whose entry for slough lumps the following definitions together: 1a. a place of deep mud or mire. 1b. a small marshy place. 1c. also slew or slue, a side channel or inlet I’ll give the last word on the spelling and pronunciation of these words to The Chicago Manual of Style: slew; slough; slue Slew is an informal word equivalent to many or lots (you have a slew of cattle). It is sometimes misspelled slough (a legitimate noun meaning â€Å"a grimy swamp† and pronounced to rhyme with now) or slue (a legitimate verb meaning â€Å"to swing around†). The phrase slough of despond (from Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress [1678]) means a state of depression. This is etymologically different from slough (/slÉ™f/), meaning â€Å"to discard† (slough off dry skin). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should KnowEmpathy "With" or Empathy "For"?Types of Plots

Special education (special needs students in regular classes) Essay

Special education (special needs students in regular classes) - Essay Example However, I feel Timmy really wants to succeed, and as teachers we will be able to help him do this. This website offers a nice look into the different signs of ADD/ADHD, which is good for any teacher, as they should be able to pick up and monitor these signs. It also lists a bunch of creative strategies in dealing with children with ADD/ADHD. This site offers many different links, which all offer tons of information about the different teaching methods that have been used. All off these methods have been found to be highly effective, and are of great use to us as teachers. Another great and helpful site that was written from a parent's perspective. It offers ten key points to remember when teaching children with ADHD, and I think they are all important to Timmy's success. I feel that working with Timmy will be an joyous experience for us all, however trying it may be on our patience. I think that is the first important thing to remember. Next, I often find that if Timmy feel he needs to be the center of attention, I make him that, and ask him a question or have him help me with an activity. This really seems to help. I also feel that incorporating the different elements of my research, we can continue to build an effective plan for Timmy. I feel that it is also important to make sure Timmy keeps a notebook, so he can keep track of everything he is supposed to do.