Download Oedipus and Scapegoats

Major Assignment #1
Choose from one of the suggestions below and write a five-page essay that responds to one of the
prompts. Be certain to establish your position carefully in your introduction. Then keep that claim in mind
as you complete each paragraph so that you maintain the focus of your essay. Make your examples
specific and concrete–you may draw from personal experience if your position suggests it, but remember
to keep the paper formal in language and tone as you develop the essay. Make certain that each paragraph
is developed enough to clarify what you are saying. Look at the length of each paragraph, look for
transitions between and within paragraphs, and make certain that your ideas are carefully connected to
each other as you develop the thesis. Have a distinct introduction, body, and conclusion. See that the body
develops and cites specifics (examples from text, from experience, from authority, etc.) sufficiently to
make your position clear and to argue that your position is at least a legitimate one to consider. Tie ideas
together with a solid concluding paragraph. The important point here is not to think in formulaic terms.
Think of the suggested structure as a framework to the authorial position you hold as writer/creator of you
own text.
If you use an outside source, be certain to include a Works Cited page and include proper internal
documentation following MLA Guidelines (see handbook and handout on Blackboard). Citations from the
text should be properly cited as should lines of poetry and a citation of the text(s) themselves should appear
on a Works Cited page as well.
We will do in-class brainstorming, freewriting, revision, and peer editing. Think in terms of Aristotle’s
five points of rhetoric (invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery) and of how to use the
elements of invention such as ethos, pathos, logos. After reading your paper out loud, do you feel that you
have offered sufficient proof in the most effective way, have you chosen the best or most effective structure
to make your point using the clearest choice of words and ideas? Have you varied sentences and controlled
tone so that your argument seems effective? Proof your paper carefully before turning it in and pay close
attention not only to content, structure, and flow but also to grammar and punctuation. If you have
questions or concerns, please see me.
If none of the following sparks your interest, you may talk to me about an idea of your own relating to the
works in question. You probably want to define “scapegoat” early on so that your argument has a basis
from which to build. Also, you may want to use some research to help you with this assignment.
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Oedipus unknowingly (and perhaps unconsciously) scapegoats himself. He assumes the burden of
punishment for the people of his kingdom. Ironically, he actually IS the reason for their troubles.
In fact, it is his sin that creates the plague on the kingdom. How does he then qualify as a
scapegoat? How is he like or unlike Tessie as scapegoat in “The Lottery”? Is she also guilty since
she threatens the community’s patriarchal structure and tradition? Examine her actions in
connection to others in the community and compare her guilt (also perhaps unconscious) to that of
Oedipus. Rene Girard posits that scapegoating is not a thing; rather it is a process. Explore this
concept as it plays itself out in the two works studied (“The Lottery” and Oedipus Rex), look up
Rene Girard’s book on The Scapegoat, and expand argument to examine how these two
“processes” apply to contemporary society or in recent history.
In “Tragedy and the Common Man” Arthur Miller says, “For, it is true that in essence the tragic
hero is intent upon claiming his whole due as a personality, and if this struggle must be total and
without reservation, then it automatically demonstrates the indestructible will of man to achieve his
humanity.” The tragic feeling is evoked in us “when we are in the presence of a character who is
ready to lay down his life, if need be to secure one thing—his sense of personal dignity.” Looking
at Oedipus as an example of Aristotle’s classical definition of the tragic character is “tragedy then
the consequence of a man’s total compulsion to evaluate himself justly”? Let this quotation serve
as a springboard for ideas about the role of tragedy in the classic sense in our contemporary world.
Find a way to argue something about the essence of humanity if we look at classical tragedy as a
way to move toward this idea of “personal dignity.” Do we value personal dignity today? Be
creative in your establishment of an approach here.
After reading your prompts and those of some past students, the list below offers some suggestions
that may help initiate ideas for you. I have blended and combined some of your suggestions. Use
any one or any combination of ideas for your paper. Just be certain that you have an absolutely
clear position from which to develop your argument. You can be creative in your approach to any
of the following:
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Scapegoating in America. What would the typical American leader have done in
such a difficult situation? Or examine a predicament related to a contemporary
ruler and compare his/her response to a crisis to that of Oedipus.
Scapegoats and celebrities—How do celebrities idolized today mirror the issues
raised in Ancient Greece? How do their falls from grace and our interest
in watching those falls recall Greek drama itself?
War as scapegoat to boost patriotism. Does society need a scapegoat?
Scapegoating and Civil Rights.
Scapegoating and women throughout history—keep a focus. Look at Iocaste and
Tessie as skeptic or disrupters of the status quo.
Rulers/leaders as scapegoats. Is it easy to place blame instead of accepting
responsibility ourselves—recent or historical examples.
Jews as scapegoats. You can look at this historically or you can use contemporary
interpretations of history to develop your paper—films, books, etc.
Scapegoating and pride/tradition, etc. How does the past affect how we act in the
present?
What is the role of the community in the process of scapegoating?
Scapegoat and difference. Do scapegoats on occasion bring on their own fate
because of hubris or because they choose to stand out as different on occasion? Or
in some instances can setting oneself apart as “the other” translate into something
positive? See scapegoat handouts that discuss scapegoat as “savior.”
Scapegoating and martyrdom. Explore this as you choose, but make a specific
claim. Is it a form of personal responsibility or a foolish act? e.g. Oedipus’s selfinflicted punishment.
Is scapegoating inevitable/necessary part of human nature—from primitive societies
to the present.
Scapegoating and morality
Accepting truth about something, especially about oneself, can be difficult.
Oedipus pursues truth even when the suspicion that he himself may be at
blame starts to develop. From personal examples to larger historical or
political examples, argue that in spite of the danger involved, humans
ultimately desire or long for truth. What happens when we stop searching?
Is this the dividing point between good and evil? But is truth relative? What
is the role of personal responsibility in this search?
Fear as motivator for scapegoating, for societal progress, for personal development?
Here is a list of things you might want to think about as examples: capital punishment, inner city
gangs, social ostracism for being different (weight, race, socio-economic status), scapegoat
dynamics in the workplace or in social settings, bullies, sports, etc. These are just suggestions.