Essay about Oedipus Rex and Fight Club - 965 Words

Oedipus Rex, a play written by Sophocles, and Fight Club, a movie directed by David Fincher, are two stories that relate to one another by sharing similar ideas and life lessons. One could argue that both contain essential qualities and characteristics of classical tragedy, but are they both ultimately tragic in the classical sense of the word? I believe that both Oedipus Rex and Fight Club do, in fact, exhibit the important qualities of classical tragedy but ultimately, I think that only one of the two stories is a true classical tragedy. The term ‘classical tragedy’ may often be confused with the modern view of tragedy. Today, we may think of a tragedy as a disastrous event such as a car accident or a natural disaster, often leading†¦show more content†¦Therefore, this ending is an example of a sorrowful and disastrous conclusion. Sorrow and disaster are also central in Fight Club, in which a depressed young man, named in the credits only as Narrator, doesnt l ike his work and gets no sense of reward from it. Instead, he attempts to drown his sorrows by putting together the perfect apartment. He cannot sleep and begins to feel alienated from the world at large; hes become so desperate to relate to others that hes taken to visiting support groups for patients with terminal diseases so that he will have people to talk to and cry with. One day on a business flight, he discovers Tyler Durden, a charming, free-spirited man who sells soap. Tyler couldnt care less about the materialistic world, and he believes that one can learn a great deal through pain, misfortune, and chaos. One night, after the narrator comes home he finds his apartment burnt to the ground and he ends up spending the rest of his night at a bar with Tyler. After leaving the bar, Tyler cheerfully challenges his new friend to a fight. Our Narrator finds that bare-knuckle brawling makes him feel more alive than he has in years, and soon the two become friends and roommates, meet ing informally to fight once a week. As more men join in, the fight club becomes an underground sensation, even though its a closely guardedShow MoreRelatedChinatown: Above The Film Noir Genre Essay1597 Words   |  7 Pagesvillain, one who seeks riches and fame at the cost of murder, he made Noah Cross. This is not the typical boss we see in the back room of the club surrounded with henchman armed to the teeth, cigar smoke, and stacks of poker chips. He has the appearance of kindness and seems trustworthy to the viewer in his first interaction with Jake Gittes at the Albacore Club, always smiling and seemingly honestly concerned for the safety of Katherine. The viewer sees later, however that the incestuous relationshipRead MoreThe Greek Heros Triumph Over Monsters1477 Words   |  6 Pagesserpent with nine heads†(Willis 147). Hercules and his nephew, Iolaus, go to Lerna to slay the Hydra. Hercules met the Hydra and began to fight and cut its heads, but two grew back in each’s place. Hercules continued to cut off its heads and now Iolaus burned each cut wound so heads couldn’t grow. The Hydra had one head left, so Hercules smashed it with his club, tore it off, and buried it under a rock (Moncrieff 37-38). Hercules’s actions while fighting against and defeating the Hydra show thatRead MoreGreek Mythology8088 Words   |  33 Pages  The  Aegean  Sea  in  which  he  drowned  is  presumably   named  after  Aegeus.   C5   Oedipus Oedipus  and  the  Sphinx   French  painter  Jean ­Auguste ­Dominique  Ingres  was  a  superb  draftsman  who  created  numerous  depictions  of   historical  and  mythological  figures.  Shown  here  is  his  Oedipus  and  the  Sphinx  (1808),  which  is  in  the  Louvre   museum  in  Paris,  France.   Scala/Art  Resource,  NY   No  hero  of  Greek  mythology  has  proved  more  fascinating  than  Oedipus.  He  destroyed  a  monster,  the   Sphinx,  by  answering  its  riddle.  YRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesDistinctions create social barriers between people for the express purpose of creating (or reinforcing) advantages and disadvantages. When someone discounts the opinion of a coworker, for example, on the grounds that the person is â€Å"a member of the old boys’ club,† â€Å"from marketing,† â€Å"a woman,† or â€Å"doesn’t have a college degree,† he or she is creating a distinction that is not only potentially hurtful on a personal basis but ineffective for the organization. The creation of such distinctions destroys trust among