On Demand Writing - Myth and the Modern World Test

"Robert Duncan 20th Century American poet, writes in his essay "Towards an Open Universe", "Beauty strikes us and may be fearful, as there is great beauty in each step as Oedipups seeks the heart of tragedy, his moment of truth, as he tears out his eyes, and sees at last...For in our common human suffering, in loss and longing, an intuition of poetic truth may arise" (Duncan 79).
"Prompt: Explain how one of the previous two passages relates to Modernist thinking. Your essay should include specific examples to Modernist literature (things we have covered in class), and can include examples from mythology, other places of literature, history, science, or the arts."

Passage above which quotes Robert Duncan's essay "Towards an Open Universe". suggests that only a tragic hero, rids themselves of their tragic flaw can they see the truth behind their lives or their situation. A very common aspect of tragedy is that the readers of the story can see exactly what is going to happen to their tragic hero, but the hero cannot. The hero cannot see it because their tragic flaw, whatever it be, blocks them from seeing the truth. Some examples of tragic flaw would be Meursalt's emotional detachment in The Stranger or Creon's pride in Antigone.
This view that truth is gained only through ridding yourself of your tragic flaw, or your "eyes" as Duncan puts it, is reflected by many modernist thinkers. As previously stated, Camus's character Meursalt's tragic flaw is his emotional detachment from his life and his being unconscious of his actions. Towards the end of the novel Meursalt says "I was blinded behind a curtain of salty tears," just before he shoots and murders the Arab. This is Camus literally pointing out Meursalt's flaw, Camus is referencing Meursalt's eyes, a play off of Oedipus's flaw. Camus is coming right out and showing the climax and the role played by Meursalt's tragic flaw. If Meursalt wasn't so detached and unconscious of everything around him then Meursalt would not have killed the Arab, the truth comes out once the tragic flaw has been exposed and done away with. But none of it really matters to Meursalt, because the truth is that emotional detachment is Meursalt's character and there is no significance in wishing it to be different, "Of course I had [wished for another life], but it wouldn't change anything it would be like wishing to be rich, or to be a better swimmer, or to have a better shaped mouth," (Meursalt).
William Carlos Williams would also agree with Mr. Duncan. A very large percent of Williams' poems were about nature, returning to nature, or art that reflected nature. Williams believed that truth could be found by returning to nature, returning to the origin of things. William Carlos Williams was a modernist thinker and during the Modernist time period the world was becoming very industrialized. Williams viewed industrialization and technology as the world's tragic flaw. The world would be too distracted and blinded by the lure of technology that people would start ignoring the beauty, truth, simplicity that could be found in nature.
Borges is one of the modernist thinkers that has a literal connection to Robert Duncan's passage. While Borges did not in fact tear out his eyes, he was blind, which is another handicap in the area. Borges' vision was, believe or not, his tragic flaw. Borges was a very shy, reserved person during the time period that his vision was not impaired, "I viewed being shy as important," (Borges, Blindness). Blindness gave Borges the courage to do things that he wouldn't have done before hand; learn many different languages or give lectures as a professor.
Oedipus' tragic flaw was pride, or an attempt at defiance. Oedipus attempted to defy the fates, the prophets and change his destiny. It was also Oedipus' pride that forced him to fulfill the first part of the prophecy. Oedipus destiny was to kill his father and marry his mother. While Oedipus is on a journey away from his home he runs into a man on the street, this man, unbeknownst to Oedipus, is Oedipus' father. The two men begin to fight and Oedipus murders his father. The first part of the prophecy is complete. Then Oedipus proceeds to help a nearby town in a war and because the townsfolk are so grateful to Oedipus, they make him their King and Oedipus gets to marry the most beautiful woman in their town. This woman is, again unbeknownst to Oedipus, Oedipus' mother. The second part of the prophecy is complete. Because of Oedipus' pride and defiance of the fates, Oedipus seals the destiny he longed to be rid of. Later in the myth when Oedipus goughes out his own eyes, which humbles him, tragic flaw removed, "All is well," (Camus' essay on Sisyphus). It is important to take in the story of Oedipus because it is mentioned in Duncan's esssay firstly, and secondly, because a lot of modernist thought was based on, or inspired by the myth.