Mankind was born to improve and learned upon himself for thousands of years. In the analysis of the story Oedipus the king, Walter James Miller expressed his own feeling as which explains why Oedipus although is more than 2000 years ago still makes modern mankind moves and found themselves related to the story. The writer stated clearly that Oedipus was the man that he was 2000 years ago because he took full responsibilities of his own actions, he as Mankind simplified complex matters in his life, his greatest suffer is the older generation where youngsters are doing whatever it take to test out their power, and most importantly he as all men found out more about themselves by the action they took. Oedipus indeed had a life that no man would want to experience but his figure and what he had stand for made him the man who moves men today.
Cadmus Sowing the Dragon's teeth, by Maxfield Parr...
Oedipus slaying the sphinx. Attic red-figured leky...
Oedipus complex: Oedipus explains the riddle of th...Oedipus has fallen himself into many events that suffer his life terribly, buy in the end it is still him that took the full responsibilities. In the second paragraph of Walter's analysis, he took great consideration on Oedipus still took the responsibility for something that he did no intended to do: "his troubles have been caused by Laius and Jocasta's blind way of handling their problems, by the shepherd's failure to obey orders, by Polybus and Merope's unwillingness to tell him the truth. Yet Oedipus recognizes that each man is an embodiment of his own heritage and must accept the consequences of his own personality, even if he did not create that personality all by himself" (p 117). No such objects in this universe are entirely perfect, Mankind is one of them. According to the writer's words, Oedipus is not the person who should take the responsibility for what has happen. Oedipus took his care of his problems like a real man and this is the remarkably action that made him the moving man he is today. Like stated earlier, Mankind was born and raised all by him not to repeat his own problems but to improve upon it and Oedipus is doing exactly what a real man should be doing. Taking the responsibilities of his so-called own actions is not the only thing that resembles modern Mankind of a real figure, Oedipus still makes us move because of his ignorance on some of his actions, which Mankind still does.
Mankind although is responsible for most of his actions he is still have ignorant on his actions. This is another reason why the author thinks that Oedipus is the figure that still inspires Mankind today. He has shown that: "We are all, at any time, liable to discover that we have oversimplified. We are all in danger of assuming that because we defeated one Sphinx, we can defeat all Sphinxes" (p 117). Oedipus in this analysis is the true role model of Mankind because the fact that Mankind is not perfect at all time and oversimplified matters and turn himself blind from things that should not be ignored. The fact that Oedipus overlooked matters didn't make him a bad or better person but I made him the figure of true men who are not calling themselves the perfect ones but accept the fact that they are not perfect and improve upon their mistakes. To the writer's point of view, this is what made Oedipus the figure of man that he is today but to others, this is true as well. As mature and strong as Oedipus is, the young people of the incoming generation are the one who always tried to prove and test out their own power and because of this, Oedipus is not the cause of his own action like most of us are.
Oedipus is the man who tested his own power on his parents by the misleading direction and information heard from others. Once again, the writer shown the reader that Oedipus did not just kill the group of crew just because he did not like them, it is the difficulties of facing older generation that Oedipus has, like most young men are. "It is inevitable-as children grow up and test out their own powers-that there be some conflict of interest with their parents" (p 117). Mankind was born to this world to improve and be stronger but at a point in his life where he has to prove to others that they have the power to do things that other can't do. Once again it's not the fact that Oedipus killed his farther and a group of men that made him a good person, its his natural action that proved readers that young generations are the one who liked to prove that they can do what others can't. Oedipus like men today can't live their live without the curiosity of knowing what is coming their way in the future. This is the reason why man although spent most of their time learning about themselves about their own actions instead of from others.
The environment that mankind is living in is the place where men prove themselves and learn more about them, it's not the place where mankind visualizes where his life will be in the future. The writer had shown this through the following lines: "to what extent is our life determined by heredity, environment, body chemistry, instinct, and the ultimate forces in the universe?" (p 118). Oedipus in the story uses the power of the supernatural and words from oracles like Apollo and Delphi but still he found himself by the actions that he took. Once again this is the reason why he represented modern mankind today. They always tried to find themselves through their own true unique actions. The writer in this took this aspect of Oedipus in great consideration toward mankind especially on how mankind found themselves through themselves.
Walter James Miller wrote a fantastic analysis that fully explained and shown readers how traditional yet moving Oedipus was today. He had shown that Oedipus took his responsibilities like a real man, he oversimplified matters like everybody else, shown his aggressiveness because of his generation and what they are represent, and most importantly found himself by his own action. The writer has done a great job of comparing and transforming Oedipus into a real modern like man as well showing off good aspects about him with respect to the modern mankind. And because of the four reasons listed above, Oedipus still moves readers today even though it is more than 2000 years old.
Oedipus At Colonus
Oedipus and the Sphinx
Oedipus (on the right), the Sphinx (on the middle)...
Oedipus (on the right), the Sphinx (on the middle)...