Question 1
There is a terrible curse that has characterized Thebes and King Oedipus sends Creon, his brother in law to seek Apollo’s advice. However, the terrible cause can only be lifted if the murder of the former King who was Laius is convicted and handed over the sentence. The former king met his death at crossroads several years back. As a result of Creon message, the King embarks on a mission to find the killer of the former king. His intention to find the murder prompts him in subjecting citizens who are unwilling to questioning which also involved a blind prophet (Homer). The shocking news is the revelation that the murderer of the former king is king Oedipus himself.
This was according to the report of the blind prophet. As always, the kings wife objects to this message and prevails upon the king not to accept the blind prophet verdict. She terms the prophet as being wrong. The wife thinks that by reminding the King of a story will solve his worry. This leads to several assumptions as to why the curse is in the city. The King hence remembers that he had killed a man at eth crossroads and who might have been the former king, Laius.
Question 2
A Belgian legislature called for the entire fellow female citizen in Belgium to stage a sex strike. This was because she was fed up with the unending bickering of male peers to form a coalition government. The sex strike was to last until the male counterpart, who dominate the legislature, come up with an amicable solution to the stalemate (Crumley). The challenge posed by the female legislature was not to effectively resolve the impasse, but to generate a new birth to the hung parliament.
The proposal was brought up by Marleen Temmerman after bitterly fought general elections. In an aim to follow the footsteps of women in Kenya who decided to go on a sex strike to prompt their male counterpart reach an amicable solution. This is the trend that the Belgian women employed. The same can be compared with Lysistrata who planed a meeting between all the women of Greece. The aim of the meeting was to evaluate on the initiatives in ending the Peloponnesian War.
The two incidents of sex strike were characterized with the aim of resolving the deadlock in political climate. It took several months after the disputed elections in Belgium to solve the stampede, a characteristic that was being shred by Greece (Aristophanes). In both cases, the politicians failed to agree in forming a coalition government to prevent further chaos. In reaction to this, Lysistrata asked women to refuse sex with their husbands until such time that a treaty was formed for peace. The two countries had women being called in to assist in bringing the unstable situation to calm. The inspiration on both occasions was inspired by Ms. Temmerman and Lysistrata who were both women. The concept of strike involved in the two campaigns was refusal of sex with their male counterpart. I think the two sex strike went along way in resolving the disputed environment as a result of election. This means that the women had their way.
Question 3
I agree with Socrates fatal decision to stay. Socrates was sentenced to death in Athens and his friend, Crito, visited him in prison to prevail upon him to escape rather than face death. Socrates allows his friend Crito to justify as to why he wants him to escape and failing to do so, he decides to stay and face death. Crito articulates of having arranged for the escape and they do not want to be the laughing stock as having failed Socrates (Baines). Crito and his contemporaries see a failure to rescue Socrates will condemn them to shame as having failed in their friendship.
Socrates on eth other hand rejects the basis on account that what mattered the most was integrity on issues and not what people were going to say. The arguments of Socrates are well documented, depicting him as a man of values and principles. He tells his friend Crito not to be overwhelmed by others reaction but to look unto the call of justice. Crito is advised to care about a knowledgeable opinion and be a person oriented in justice and understands injustice.
Socrates has accepted to pay the price of disobedience to the government of Athens. It is therefore absurd for him to continue breaking the same laws that he broke in trying to escape. The city of Athens is seen to have betrayed the trust of Socrates and Crito is in no need to understand. Socrates decides to honor the judgment and refuses to betray the city in turn (Baines). He therefore preserves the dignity of eth city of Athens by deciding to observe the laws that have subjected him to death. He asserts that an escape will be a form of revenge for the wrong done to him.
Question 4
“But you, Achilles,
There’s not a man in the world more blest than you-
There never has been, never will be one.
Time was, when you were alive, we Argives
Honored you as a god, and now down here, I see,
You lord it over the dead in all your power.
Sp grieve no more at dying, great Achilles.”
I reassured the ghost, but he broke out, protesting,
“No winning words about death to me, shining Odysseus!
By god, I’d rather slave on earth for another man-
Some dirt-poor tenant farmer who scrapes to keep alive-
Than rule down here over all the breathless dead”
The above statement is realized when Achilles was having a conversation with Odysseus. This was when Odysseus took the long journey to the underworld. This journey is noted as a flashback. The two environments bring about a subject of amusement for the heroes. The new found settlement proves to be rich in vegetation. The strength possessed by Achilles is the major contributor to Odysseus success.
On the other hand, Achilles reckons the significance of Odyssey prowess in being alive. There is celebration of the glory won which is a result of conquering the winning battles, in the first epic (Lesser). The focal point of this success revolves around Achilles. The first perception in the other land cannot be compared with the success in the current one. Furthermore, Achilles is now dead due to his struggle to win great glory. Achilles thinks that Odysseus is not sincere and is employing double standard in talking to him. Having conquered, Odysseus is warned not to lose sight of the power he has for it might cost him the same way it did Achilles.
Work Cited
Aristophanes. Lysistrata. 1996. Nick Hern Books. London.
Baines, L. How to Get a Life, Volume 2. 2004. Humanics Publishing Group. Florida, FL.
Crumley, B. The solution to Belgium’s Government Crisis: Stop Having Sex. Time
NewsFeed. 2011. 24th April 2011.
<http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/02/09/the-solution-to-belgiums-government-crisis-stop-having-sex/>
Homer. The Odyssey. 2007. Wilder Publications. Washington.
Lesser, O.S. The whispered meanings: selected essays of Simon O. Lesser. 1977. Univ of Massachusetts Press, MA.
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