At the Poydras Home (where I am doing my service
hours) there are normally a few quotes of the day that we discuss with the
elderly. One of them that I came across recently reminded me of Oedipus. It is
a quote by Helen Keller that says, “I have often thought it would be a blessing
if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time
during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of
sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.” It reminded me of the
conversation Oedipus had with Tiresias, where Tiresias says to Oedipus that, “thou
hast not spared to twit me with my blindness--thou hast eyes, yet see'st not in
what misery thou art fallen.” People often take for granted the ability of
sight, and by doing so often over look certain things. Like we discussed in
class, Oedipus could have discovered his mistakes sooner, had he not been
stubborn and merely heard what he wanted to hear and saw what he wanted to see. I thought it was an interesting quote, and I would have to agree that if someone was stricken blind and deaf for just a few days, they would not only be more thankful for their vision and sight when they returned, but they would probably utilize those abilities more as well.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
That is a good point. If we were all blind and suddenly given vision, we would appreciate it a lot more and certainly be more observant of what we can see, since everything in sight would be new and interesting. We take for granted a lot of the things that we have, such as our physical senses, freedom, identity, and quality of life, just to name a few. When we lose such things, it often surprises us and sometimes gives us a feeling that is worse than how we would have felt if we never had them. If I remember correctly, this feeling is mentioned in Oedipus the King.
Post a Comment