Today we took the CASE 21 Benchmark Assessment, designed to destroy your brain cells and determine what you know and don't know. Ok, so the brain cell destruction is a bit of a stretch. That said, those of us who were here did take the CASE 21, and those of us who weren't here, well...didn't. Make-up times TBA.
Two Greek terms you should know:
hamartia and hubris
Here's a fairly decent site that will help you understand the terms more fully: http://literarydevices.net/hamartia/
Notice that the site makes some straight up claims about Oedipus Rex (the King). Your job is to be able to find evidence in the text that a) supports b) refutes or c) qualifies those claims.
In the meantime, make sure that you have read thoroughly and are completely familiar with Act I of Oedipus the King. Tomorrow in class we will analyze our daily rhetoric, and we will conduct examine the soil of Oedipus the King for trace amounts of hamartia or hubris. Remember that Oedipus has announced that the source of the scourge--the contamination of Thebes must be dealt with strictly and severely--even if it means execution or banishment. The irony here is that although he has eyes to see the truth, like the blind prophet Tieresias suggests, Oedipus is blind as to the source of the "contamination" in Thebes. The question at hand is this: what contributes to Oedipus' blindness? Is it straight up arrogance and pride, manifested in a defiance of the gods? Or is it it simply a case of Oedipus possessing a tragic flaw--something that causes him to merely "miss the mark" so to speak?
Hamartia or hubris? You decide. Just be able to defend your answer with evidence from the text.