Old Testament/ The Odyssey/ Oedipus the King/ Platos Apology of Socrates - Coursework Example

1. In the beginning of the Book of Job, Satan and God are looking over the earth, noting the good and evil among men. They notice Job and God offershim as an example of righteousness to Satan. In reply, Satan says that the only reason Job is righteous is because God protects him from harm and misfortune. God agrees to let Satan do whatever he wants to Job. He tell Satan that Job is such a good person that even if he is tormented, he will continue to be righteous. The trials of Job begin when, in a single day, his entire family including his wife and all of his children are all killed in a terrible accident.

All of his wealth that is had in the form of flocks and herds is also lost to him through theft. Job also suffers personally with boils and diseases of the skin and scalp. To top all of this, his friends come to visit him and spend the time passing judgment on Job. They reason that if he was righteous, these bad things wouldn’t have happened therefore, he should confess his sins and repent. These are all bad things that happened to Job.2. The Odyssey is an epic poem because it tells of a quest or a series of events that span a long period of time and has an expansive geography.

Epic poems tell of the doing of individuals that often possess larger than life personalities or abilities. Sometimes their exploits seem almost superhuman. Epic poetry and epic heroes sometimes have gods and goddesses intervening on their behalf or working against them. Odysseus is considered an epic hero because his desire to return home is the quest element of the poem. He provides the motivation for all of the action. Odysseus is not always successful and does not always overcome his challenges, yet he is a hero because in the end he succeeds in his quest.3. Two important things help Jocasta figure out that the prophecy concerning Oedipus killing his father and sleeping with his mother has actually come true.

The first bit of information that gets Jocasta wondering is the description of the three way stop that was the scene of Oedipus killing his father. The fact that a messenger escaped the attack and was able to relate information concerning something Jocasta knew about was troubling to her. The point where she figures everything out is after information is given concerning Oedipus’s true parents. They learn that they were of humble origins and where they were from. Jocasta realizes that the baby she gave up for death is actually Oedipus.

This is where she leaves the stage screaming. Unfortunately, Oedipus doesn’t get it and has to figure things out for himself.4. This line doesn’t really tell us that Socrates believed in an afterlife, because he was skeptical of such things during his lifetime. What he is showing is that he held virtue and truth to be more important than anything else. He was saying that without these things, living had no real meaning and that if you went to the grave without possessing virtue and truth, then if there was a life beyond it wouldn’t be worth living.

By this quote, Socrates is telling us that it is better to die well and in possession of virtue and truth than to live a life of darkness and ignorance.