Country Of Thebes Is Stricken - Free Essay Example

In the play, the country of Thebes is stricken by a great plague, and king Oedipus, being a noble leader, is determined to find the solution of ending the scourge. A determined Oedipus goes on a quest of determining the truth behind his parentage and the old prophecy. After a thorough investigation, he traces the trail of the prophecy, and it falls onto him. Thomas De Quincey argues that the Oedipus was guilty right from the moment he solved the riddle of the sphinx. De Quincey places Oedipus as the scape goat of his actions. However, other scholars such as Dodds, Gould, Kitano and Sommerstein provide sufficient evidence that refute with the claims of scholars such as De Quincey. Therefore, in this narrative, the paper will refute to the claims of de Quincey that places Oedipus as responsible and provides sufficient evidence from the other scholars that Oedipus actions are misunderstood, and he should not be held culpable. Although scholars have argued that actions that precede Oedipus should be justified, I argue that the Oedipus guilt has been misunderstood. Oedipus was a mere victim of a prophecy foretold by the god. Thus, the actions that preceded his life cannot be justified, and the sins of his parents should not be carried forward. Dodds argues that there is a misunderstanding in the narrative of Oedipus and his action should not be taken as poetic justice for his sins (Dodds 17). Majority of the people take the actions of Oedipus as justifiable seeing as how he treats other characters such as Creon and argue that it is legitimate for the gods to extend the curse on him. Dodds also claims that Oedipus is a flaw in accordance to the Aristotle view. The action in the play has been brought out to indicate that he deserves the horrors due to his pride and the treatment toward Creon and the Oracle (Dodds 17). However, in understanding of Oedipus as the villain of the narrative, it is essential to understand the role that the author had fashioned for him. Determining whether Oedipus is a right person creates a double entendre since his character is portrayed as neither sinister of too noble (Dodds 17). For instance, as the story unfolds, he comes off as the hero having saved the city from the Sphinx. However, his attitude at the crossroads paints him with a different picture. Nonetheless, being on the Aristotelian view, it is possible to derive that the rhetoric emp loyed in the narrative is used to bring out the ignorance in Oedipus based on the occurrence of the events (Dodds 18). Despite the theme of ignorance, one cannot forget that some of the actions happened independently, thus justifying them would create a bias. The narrative of Oedipus draws parallels with that of Thyestes which features a man eating the fresh of his child without his knowledge. Notably, creating the contrast enables one to identify the point of view about Aristotle regarding the justification of the narrative (Dodds 18). In the story, Oedipus acts are natural pollution considering the incestuous nature and killing his father. Had Oedipus committed the acts with prior knowledge, it would depict him as a person without conscious and deservedly of any injustice. The great misunderstanding comes in from the fact that most people do not understand the traditional narrative where the hero had a tragic flaw (Dodds 20). The fatal flaw allowed the audience to develop pity for the character. On the other hand, the author has posited that Oedipus could not have avoided his fate. For instance, during the prophecy, the Oracle did not provide conditions under which the events would occur (Dodds 22). Instead, the oracle provides straight answers in that, Oedipus would kill his father and betroth his mother. Oedipus tries his best to avoid the action, but it comes out that fate had already determined the path which Oedipus would follow. Consequently, the majority of the people may perceive the actions of Oedipus drawn by the gods to make him a puppet of his fate (Dodds 27). However, one must keep mind that no one forced Oedipus to find out the truth. In most occasions, the messengers and Jocasta pleaded with him not to continue with the investigations (Dodds 24). However, it is his passion and desire to see that Thebes was lead of the plague that led him to seek for justice. Although he got the news, he did not anticipate one cannot flaw him for the nature of finding the truth (Dodds 24). As a result, it would be hypocritical to justify Oedipus guilt because he is a leader who acted for the greater good on the nation he was leading. According to Sommerstein, the Athenian law fund people who had committed sins such a sleeping with their kin or homicide to be detrimental sins (Sommerstein 105). Additionally, killing a person on the spot such as the fight that ensued between Oedipus and Laius is culpable. In other words, Oedipus had committed all these forms of his evil which warrants people to think that he deserved the hereditary curse that followed him (Sommerstein 105). However, in the case of Oedipus, his crimes would have been punishable had it been established that he tried to kill his father with the firm knowledge, but the act that he did not comprehend his relationship with Laius indicates that Athenian law would not have found him culpable as he is obliged to strike back when provoked. Additionally, depending on the nature of the incidence, Oedipus was traveling alone in the darkness thus giving him the entitlement of self-defense (Gould 32). According to Gould, it is justifiable that Oedipus chose to gauge his eyes upon realizing the offenses he had committed. The actions of gouging his yes could justify his actions (Gould 35). However; one has to sympathize with the nature of the occurrence and that Oedipus was oblivious of the events. To conclude this discussion, it would be wrong to crucify Oedipus for his actions. Although the majority of the actions that had been prophesied came true, one could argue that the ambiguity of the situation did not provide justice for Oedipus. Additionally, the forecast did not have conditions hence one would be obliged to conclude that Oedipus was culpable. However, taking into account the nature of the events and the constant attempts of Oedipus to avoid moving the prophesied direction one could conclude that he was a victim of circumstance. Oedipus did not deserve the heredity curse that occurred to him due to the negligence of his biological parents. Instead, the reader should justif y the actions of Oedipus based on his love to see that Thebes was free from the plague that had stricken them. Oedipus should not be guilty of his actions, but instead, his parents should be the ones to bear the brunt of injustice (Gould 36). When Laius was the king, he took in Jocasta as one of his wives. However, the oracle warned him against bearing a child because the child would eventually end up killing him and taking Jocasta as one of his wives. The narrative indicates that Laius had been sufficiently warned by the gods (Gould 38). Therefore, going against them would ultimately lead to a curse befalling them. Additionally, the prophecy indicates that both prophesy had sufficient information regarding the outcomes and actions contradicting the forecast can be deciphered as ignorance. Nonetheless, in one night, a drunken Laius sleeps with the wife and ends up having a son. The fact that they conceived a child together indicated that they had already gone against the prophecy and the outcomes would be evident (Kitano 120). However, they give the child to be exposed to the wilderness. However, out of pity, one shepherd gives the child to a childless loyal couple. Therefore, the conception of the prophecy can be rightfully blamed on the recklessness of Laius for not taking hid of the warning given to him. Oedipus can be referred to as collateral damage for the mistakes committed by his parents (Kitano 120). Additionally, in as much people find Oedipus guilty and justify his action, it is wrong that he had to be punished by the gods. Aside from the biological parents, the adoptive parent of Oedipus should also be held liable for the actions instead of Oedipus (Kitano 121). For instance, the adoptive parents led Oedipus to believe that he was their biological child. No tably, had the parents been right about the origins of Oedipus, he would have probably avoided some of the actions. However, despite the efforts, the gods had already predetermined the fate of Oedipus, thus making him a pawn to the grand scheme. Notably, when Oedipus learned of the prophecy, he abandoned his adoptive parents to avoid the outcomes that would follow. The actions indicate that Oedipus was a self-conscious person who was determined to prevent the occurrence of the prophecy, which would see him kill his father and betroth his mother (Kitano 120). However, had the adoptive parents provided Oedipus with sufficient knowledge of his origins they would have prevented the outcomes. As a result, the narrative indicates that Oedipus had not acted out of ignorance about the prophecy but acted with diligence to avoid the curse (Kitano 122). In reality, whichever direction that he chose to follow, the gods had already cast their fate on Oedipus as there was no stopping the events that had been planned. According to Kitano the murder of the crossroad was ambiguous for Oedipus to figure out that he was going to kill Laius (Kitano 122). Jocasta revealed to Oedipus that the killing of Laius had been told and it occurred at the crossroads after a fight with the bandits. Upon probing the situation, Oedipus realizes that he had a hand in the murder. However, a closer look indicates that there is no manner in which Oedipus could have determined that he was going to kill his biological father. During the ordeal, he had fled from his parents to avoid the fulfilling the prophecy but unintentionally ended up killing his father. The act was intentional, thus compounding the fact that there is no way in which Oedipus could have predetermined the actions that would proceed (Kitano 122). However, the events create a dilemma because killing a person irrespective of the actions cannot be justified. The nature of the murder implies that Oedipus tragedy could have been defending Laius at the crossroads. Additionally, the situation brings about poetic justice because Oedipus was being reciprocated punishment for killing an innocent man at the crossroads (Kitano 122). Notably, before the murder had occurred, several scholars argue that Oedipus had been responsible for starting the fight. Irrespective of the person starting the fight, it is clear that the path leading to the battle of the two oblivious characters unfolds the plot of the narrative (Kitano 122). Nonetheless, the confession by Oedipus indicate that he had been provoked and acted out of anger, but the situation should not have prompted to act by killing ( Kitano 123). A step back at the scene indicates that both Laius and Oedipus were liable for the events. However, no justification would have allowed Oedipus to realize that he was killing his father. Additionally, the actions and reaction of Oedipus at the crossroads brings about the principle of exceeding, which requires that retaliation should be followed due to the suffering caused (Kitano 124). The law posits that regardless of the intentions, his actions had to be followed by actions. As a result, the principle helps in justifying that Oedipus or Laius cannot be held accountable for the murder at the crossroads. Instead, their actions were driven by instincts of self-defense (Kitano 124). Furthermore, the fact both characters ascribed to the same philosophy, of reciprocity, it goes to show that Oedipus cannot be held liable for the guild and the flaw in the character. Works Cited Dodds, Erec Robertson. On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex. Greece Rome 13.1 (1966): 17-31. Gould, Thomas. The Innocence of Oedipus: The Philosophers on Oedipus the King. Part III. Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics, vol. 5, no. 4, 1966: pp. 31-51. Kitano, Masahiro. Not An Equal, But A Greater Payback. Comparative Theatre Review, vol. 12, no. 1, 2013: pp. 119-132. Sommerstein, Alan H. Sophocles and the Guilt of Oedipus1. Cuadernos de Filolog? ­a Clsica. Estudios Griegos e Indoeuropeos, vol. 21, 2011: pp. 103-110

What is Lung Cancer - Free Essay Example

Cancer is a disease caused by out of control abnormal cell divisions. Cancer harms the body and its organ systems when abnormal cells divide in an uncontrolled way to form tumors and lumps that affect the tissues in the body. There are many different types of cancers such as lung cancer, breast cancer, blood cancer. Cancer can start in any part of the body. Human cells divide and form trillions of new cells every single day. When cancer develops in the body, this orderly process breaks down. Cells become abnormal, damaged or even old and are being produced even if they are not needed. The uncontrollable growth of these cells can cause cancer. Doctors characterize cancer in 4 stages. The stages differentiate the size of cancer and how far it has spread out or grown in the body. Sometimes if the cancer is in one place, the doctor may recommend to get surgery done or even a radiotherapy done to get rid of the cancer completely. But if the cancer is spread to various parts of the body. Then you might need to get systematic treatments which include chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted cancer drugs. There are 2 main types of staging systems for cancer. These are the TNM system and the number system. TNM stands for Tumor, Node, Metastasis. This systems helps doctors identify the size and location of the cancer and where its affecting the body. T refers to the size of the cancer and how far it has spread into nearby tissueit can be 1, 2, 3 or 4, with 1 being small and 4 large N refers to whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodesit can be between 0 (no lymph nodes containing cancer cells) and 3 (lots of lymph nodes containing cancer cells) M refers to whether the cancer has spread to another part of the bodyit can either be 0 (the cancer hasnt spread) or 1 (the cancer has spread) (cancerresearchuk.org) The number stage uses the same method to divide cancer into 4 stages. The 1st stage means that the cancer is small and can be controlled or diagnosed. But as the stages move on, the cancer gets worse and if the cancer reaches stage 4. It is impossible to treat it and the patient will die within a few months unfortunately . There are many causes of cancer such as alcohol consumption, obesity, diet, hormones, cancer causing substances, radiation and tobacco. In the U.S tobacco is the leading cause of lung cancer. People who smoke or are around that environment have an increase risk of having lung cancer. As tobacco such as cigarettes and cigar pipes has many chemicals that damages the DNA. Tobacco use causes lung cancer. Lung cancer is a cancer that begins in the lungs and often people who smoke are affected by it.Lung cancer effects the respiratory system and the circulatory system. The respiratory system allows a person to breathe and exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide throughout the body The parts of the respiratory system that are affected by lung cancer are mouth, larynx, trachea, bronchi and the nasal cavities. Effects of lung cancer on the circulatory system causes Decreased circulation of blood causes hypertension, blood clots, increased heart rate, and arterial wall buildup along with lowered body temperature. (parashospitals.com) Lung cancer is the leading cause of death around the world both among men and women. Almost 70 percent people diagnosed with lung cancer are over 65 years of age, while less than 3% of lung cancers occur in people under 45 years of age. Lung cancer was not common during the 1900s. But as smoking products production increased dramatically, tobacco smoking increased as well. Even though lung cancer is the most common type of cancer among men and women. In the United States lung cancer surpassed breast cancer as the common cause of cancer related deaths in women. There are 2 major types of lung cancers known as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). These two cancers grow in different ways and have different treatment options. SCLC are strongly related to cigarette smoking and is the most rapidly growing of all cancers. Referring to a specific cell appearance often seen when examining samples of SCLC under the microscope, these cancers are sometimes called oat cell carcinomas. NSCLC are the most common and account for 80% of all lung cancers and they consist of several types such as Adenocarcinomas, Large cell carcinomas and Squamous cell carcinomas. Symptoms and signs Its hard for the doctors to sometimes recognize or identify the signs and symptoms of the tumor. The symptoms depend upon how widely the cancer spread and where its located. Some people with lung cancer might not feel pain or any sort of changes in their body. Patient with lung cancer must get a CT scan or a chest X- ray done. In the X-ray the tumor discovered looks like a small mass which might end up looking like a coin. People with small masses of tumor often show no reports of signs or symptoms when the cancer is discover because at that time the tumor is not widely spread. Patients with lung cancer show symptoms of pain in the chest or rib areas and often have breathing problems, shortness of breath. They often have severe dangerous coughs such as chronic, dry, with phlegm, or with blood. If the cancer has damaged some nerves it may cause the patient to have shoulder pain that travels down the outside of the arm leading to hoarseness. People who have problem eating is because their esophagus is damaged which causes them to have distress while swallowing. If an airway of the lung is damaged then an infection known as pneumonia may damage that area of the lungs. People who have lung cancer also show symptoms of weight loss, weakness, and fatigue. Psychological symptoms such as depression and mood changes also are common. (medicinenet.) These symptoms increase because that the cancer has spread a lot into lungs and nearby areas. If a person smokes everyday or is a regular smoker. He or she should get in touch with a doctor, so they can find the disease and treat the patient. Doctors use various procedures to diagnose lung cancer. Before they start the procedure the doctors take some screening tests of the lungs in order to make sure the person is getting effected by lung cancer. Doctors may detect signs of breathing difficulty, lung infections and chest pain. The following are the current diagnostics modalities the doctors use to detect this medical condition. Chest X-ray: is the first diagnostic procedure the doctors use to detect symptoms of lung cancer. This procedure shows a front to back and overall view of the chest. The chest x-ray reveals the areas of lungs which are probably cancerous. The benign tumors in the lungs also called hamartomas may be identified on a chest X-ray and show signs of lung cancer. CT (computerized tomography): scan are performed on the chest to examine for any tumors. Both X-rays and CT scans are done with the help of a machine that takes multiple images of the body. The images are then placed on a computer screens to find if there are any areas infected. CT scans help find and detect lung nodules or tumors. CT scan is used to accurately guide cancer treatment during a procedure. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): when a location of the tumor is required the doctors carry out the procedure of MRI. The technique uses magnetism, radio waves, and a computer to produce images of body. There are no side effects of the MRI procedure and the images and results produced by MRI scanning can help detect any changes within the body. Low-dose helical CT scan (or spiral CT scan):is is recommended by the USPSTF annually in current and former smokers between ages 55 and 80 with at least a 30 pack-year history of cigarette smoking ( medicinenet.com). With the help of this procedure the rate of lung cancer death decreased by 20%. Sputum cytology: if any type of tumor has infected or invaded the airways of the lungs. The procedure of sputum may allow detect the tumor in the lungs. Doctors recommend this procedure and it is inexpensive. But the use of sputum cytology is limited because sometimes it doesnt detect cancerous cells. Bronchoscopy: is a procedure carried out by a pathologist. During the process the doctor uses a bronchoscope which is inserted into the airways, which allows the doctor to examine the trachea, larynx and lower airways of the lungs. This helps determine if any sort of tumor is present or not. This procedure requires anesthesia or sedation which is uncomfortable to many patients. After the procedure the patients dont feel well. They coughs up blood and has decreased level of oxygen in the blood. Thoracentesis: is a procedure used to remove air or fluid from the pleural space between the chest walls and lungs. This helps detect the cancer cells and doctors than carry out the diagnosis. All these procedure are carried out by doctors to diagnose the person and find the presence of tumor in lung cancer. There are 1 to 4 stages that characterize this cancer, according to how much the tumor is spread. Stage 1: the cancer is restricted to the lungs of the patient Stage 2: the cancer is constricted to the chest Stage 3: the deadly tumor and cancer is spreading throughout the lungs Stage 4: the cancer has spread from the chest to other body parts. There are many treatments for a person suffering from lung cancer such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted drug therapy, and immunotherapy. Medications such as, Chemotherapy: kills cancerous growing cells that are reproducing or multiplying. But chemotherapy has various and dangerous side effects. Person going through chemotherapy suffer from hair loss, loss of appetite, severe nausea and vomiting, increased levels of infections and easily bruised and bleeding skin. Immunotherapy: lowers the immune response to diagnose and treat the disease. Taking immunotherapy drugs can cause fatigue, cough, nausea, itching, skin rash, loss of appetite and constipation. Radiation and targeted drug therapy have the same effects. Also surgeries such as Pulmonary lobectomy help remove lobe of a lung, radiotherapy helps remove a tumor. It focuses high powered energy on a specific area diagnosed with tumor. Wedge resection is the removal of tissue from the lungs to help detect and treat the disease. Also the person should consult doctors and experts such as Oncologist, Palliative medicine, Radiologist, Pulmonologist, Cardiothoracic surgeon, and Primary care provider (PCP) to help get rid of the disease and get fully treated. Quit smoking and staying away from smoking area is better for the person. Many products, such as nicotine gum, nicotine sprays, or nicotine inhalers, may be helpful to people trying to quit smoking. Eat a diet full of vegetables and fruits and go to the gym and exercise regularly.