Similar Ideas of Fate in Oedipus the King, by Sophocles and Crash

The Greek drama “Oedipus The King” evidently leads to the unveiling of a tragedy. Oedipus, the protagonist of the play uncovers his tragic birth story and the curse he had been baring his whole life. Oedipus is notorious for his personal insight that helped him defeat Sphinx, which lead him to becoming the king of Thebes. He is admired by the people of Thebes and is considered to be a mature, inelegant and a rational leader. From his birth, his story began with a prophecy that Oedipus would grow up to kill his father and marry his mother. Through out the play numerous people, who tell him of his unknown past, visit Oedipus. Blind to the truth he casts them away until a blind man named Therisis gives a sight of truth to Oedipus. As Oedipus learns the truth he realizes the great evil his life carries. After finding his wife and also mother hung in her bedroom, Oedipus blinds himself with the gold pins that held Jocasta’s robe. Oedipus blind to the truth is finally able to see when the old blind man visits him and tells him the truth about his life. Both metaphorically and physically sight plays a significant role in understanding the irony of a blind man seeing the truth while Oedipus who isn’t blind doesn’t seem to the truth that’s right in front of him.

Over the centuries, the concept of fate is constantly being changed to adapt to our current way of living. In modern times the concept of fate is usually connected to the themes of love and romance. However the ancient Greeks recognized fate as an inescapable reality that shaped their lives. The famous playwright, Sophocles, adopts the idea of fate in his plays to control the character’s actions. In both plays, “Oedipus the King” and “Antigone”, the writer uses the concept of fate to show human’s inability to conquer the will of the gods.

Fate as defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary is ‘an inevitable and often adverse outcome, condition, or end’. Sophocles discusses fate vs free will in his plays. In the play Oedipus Rex there was a prophecy that Oedipus was destined to kill his father and marry his mother, he attempts to escape his destiny by running away to Thebes where he meets his fate. In the play Antigone, that main character Antigone decides to go against Creon’s (her uncle who has inherited the throne) decree and bury the brother, Polynices, knowing the consequences would lead to her death. In Sophocles’ plays Oedipus Rex and Antigone, the theme is mankind not being able to escape their fate.

Many times in life, people think they can determine their own destiny, but, as the Greeks believe, people cannot change fate the gods set. Though people cannot change their fate, they can take responsibility for what fate has brought them. In the story Oedipus, by Sophocles, a young king named Oedipus discovers his dreadful fate. With this fate, he must take responsibility and accept the harsh realities of what’s to come. Oedipus is a very hubris character with good intentions, but because he is too confident, he suffers. In the story, the city of Thebes is in great turmoil due to the death of the previous king, Laius. With the thought of helping his people, Oedipus opens an investigation of King Laius’s murder, and to solve the mystery,

Crash is a movie about race and stereotypes and its effects on the various people living in the Los Angeles area. The movie boost racial awareness and it requires close observation from the viewer. We see a variety of races including African American men and women, several Hispanics, a Middle Eastern family, and a few Asians. We see the ups and downs of each character and it helps us see where they are coming from, and potentially why they are racist against different people. It seems that we almost begin to feel sorry for the different characters regardless of what they are doing or how they are acting because of each of their circumstances.

The movie “Crash” tells complex stories of caucasian, african american, latinos, koreans, iranians, law enforcement, criminals, low and upper class in which all is characterized under racism within each group. Each race is guilty and are victims of racism. Throughout the movie, it portrays racism against other members of different races which results in repercussions of those perceptions. By stereotyping people, this causes people to be judged by their cover. Most people do not understand a person's culture, so they will be first to judge them based on what they have heard from outside sources.

Daniel suffered individual discrimination from Farhad because Farhad perceived him as Latino, and thus thought he was deceitful and treated him accordingly. Later, when Farhad’s store was trashed because someone broke in through the faulty door, Farhad sought revenge on Daniel because he felt that he was responsible for the trashed store. As a result, Daniel became Farhad’s scapegoat for his frustration of having a ruined store because he did not listen to Daniel’s professional opinion.

Fate is defined as the development of events beyond a person’s control. In “Oedipus the King,” Sophocles, tells us about a tragic hero (Oedipus) in which his life is predetermined by fate, because he is deprived of free will. The first act of fate on Oedipus was him being saved by a shepherd when his parents (Queen Jocasta and King Laius) left him in the mountains to die, he then met and killed his father without knowing who he was, and last, he married Queen Jocasta, later realizing that she was his mother. Every action that Oedipus took to prevent his fate, would soon be the ultimate downfall, not only for himself, but for his family and the people of Thebes.

The film encompasses a variety of different themes as well. The issues are all connected to the different prejudices that are found in today’s society. Racism is the most dominant theme that is found in the film. Stereotyping is another theme that is viewed throughout this film. An example of this being when Daniel the Hispanic locksmith was changing the locks for the Caucasian District Attorney and his wife. Jean (the wife) assumes that Daniel is a no good gang banger based on the fact that he has tattoos, a shaved head, and is Hispanic. The film

Oedipus is a man of unflagging determination and perseverance, but one who must learn through the working out of a terrible prophecy that there are forces beyond any man’s conceptualization or control. Oedipus’ actions were determined before his birth, yet Oedipus’ actions are entirely determined by the Gods who control him completely. In the beginning of this tragedy, Oedipus took many actions leading to his own downfall. He tried to escape Corinth when he learned of the prophecies that were supposed to take place in his life. Instead, he

Continually the director uses the subplots- the stories within the story-to show the hierarchy of oppression and privilege in America to show how people think of others in a particular way in which they take people’s dignity. The way people treat and look to others is really off and they go with their thoughts to really far places and they imagine things that may not happen, in which they oppress another person.another scene “-come on man keep driving i said i'm not laughing at you ...fine you want me to show you i will show you ,do you want to see what's in my hands i will show you” In the scene, it shows how the cop mistreats the boy just because he is black. This scene is related to the message because the cop kills a person who did not do anything to him, he just thinks that he has gun but he is not sure about it, then

It is the responsibility of man to take ownership of his destiny which separates the human condition for that of other earthly beasts. From birth, Oedipus, the tragic hero of Sophocles’ Greek Tragedy Oedipus Rex, is destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Although by the opening act of the play, Oedipus has earned the throne of Thebes for solving the riddle of the Sphinx, the eponymous character is unaware that he has already fulfilled his prophecy. Meanwhile, the people of Thebes are dying of a plague that will only end when the unknown murderer of Laius, the previous Theban King, is punished. Through retrospection, Oedipus believes that he might be responsible for Laius death and is told that the King and Queen of Corinth who

Crash. It is the perfect analogy of how we as a human race deal with life, people and our own experiences. Physical characteristics and racial differences may be interpreted as two distinguishing traits that separate us. I think it’s what keeps us apart. That leaves several abstract questions that the film Crash illustrates. What are the origins of personal prejudice? Do individual experiences fuel standing stereotypes? Is it easier to perpetuate existing stereotypes because “things will never change?” Can people battle internal struggles within their own ethnic group? What prohibits us from overcoming these prejudices? The writers of the Crash managed to extend my viewing experience beyond the 90 minute film, thus forcing me to analyze my

"Oedipus the King" is a tragic play showing a shift from the belief of fate to freedom of choice. Therefore, Oedipus the king is a great example of those who run from fate ends up fulfilling their fate

After not completing a job with a shop owner named Farhad, his store was broken into and vandalized. After hearing the insurance would not cover his costs he shortly goes after Daniel. Farhad appears at Daniel's home with a gun ready to shoot him, when his daughter comes running out. In the hopes of saving her father she used her "invisabiltiy coat" to protect him as Farhad fires the gun. Daniel hugs his child in tears only to realize the bullet did not hit her and takes her safetly inside his home. A man out for revenge just shows up to someones home with a gun and openly fires. Endangering the life of a child, yet no action was taken. This scene was the most powerful throughout the film because at that moment leaving Farhad in the driveway as Daniel walked away holding his child made him realize that he put himself in that situation and almost killed a child. This revenge all for his store, when all Daniel tried to do was help him and his family. Daniel was an influencial character who always stuck to himself yet knew what remained