The purpose of Ariely's talk was basically to tell us that, while we think our brains are original and we make our own decisions, some things are actually decided for us. Whether we like it or not, we are not in control of everything we do or decide to do, and sometimes things are just as they are and nothing else. He says that while we think we are in the drivers seat all the time, we often only have the illusion that we are making a decision, while the decision is usually made up for us before we even begin the decision making process.
This relates to Oedipus Rex, which was the book we read about Tragedy. When Oedipus decided to leave the city so he'd never murder his father or have children with his mother, he thought that all of his problems were solved because of his wise choice. What he didn't know was that fate had already decided for him, and he ended up unknowingly killing his father and having children with his mother anyway. Life is kind of like that, and it's crazy to think that not everything we do is because we decided to do it. This relates to tragedy because, when faced with a decision, we often choose the path that is best for our ego. Sometimes that choice has a positive outcome, but sometimes we end up going down the opposite path anyway because of something predetermined that we can't control, and take a hit to our ego like Oedipus did when the people in the town told him what he'd done. This confirms what I'd already thought about tragedy; that much of it relies on fate and the fact that our egos are not solidified. It also confirmed my belief that someone's ego must take a hit in some way in order for a tragedy to be considered a tragedy.
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Basically, there's a city that's falling apart and the cattle/crops are dying out. The people in the city think that Oedipus is their last hope to be saved, and he proves to be a huge failure in that. Oedipus flees the city because someone prophesied that he would kill his father and get with his mother, which ends up happening anyway. He came across a caravan on his journey and murdered them all because they wouldn't let him pass, and fell in love with his mother upon returning to his city. His ego was then questioned when the people in the town blamed him for his father's death, and was convinced that he didn't do it since he thought he escaped his father.
This relates to tragedy in many ways, but the biggest example to me in Oedipus Rex is the shots to Oedipus's ego. It's so ironic that while he thought he was free from blame of killing his father after he escaped, everyone knew who the murderer was but him. This represents tragedy because one character is experiencing questioning of his character while the other characters know what's going on behind the scenes. |
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