Big Question

My big question is:

Does our actions or external environment determine who we are as people?This question surfaced after talking to my parents. Each of them grew up in countries outside of the United States, and were definitely impacted by their surroundings. For example, my mom lived in Mauritius, a small island off the coast of South Africa. As a child, she faced challenges of being in an environment where boys received more educational attention than did girls. My mom was often placed in situations where she wasn't given the adequate attention she deserved as a child. To a large extent, the environment of Mauritius and the patriarchal family structure in this area discouraged my mom from pursuing the goals she desired: a medical degree and a desire to shape a future for herself. In turn, the environment she was around made her unable to act as she saw fit. In this case, the actions she chose to take as a child were affected by her living environment. Contrarily, the environment in the United States has provided her great confidence to pursue her dreams. This has helped her receive her certification as an MA, and she has fulfilled her medical dreams. While environment has played a large role in my mom's life, she has always been a proactive individual who has made a difference. Her actions have defined her even though her external environment has at times impeded her actions. Her actions have defied her environment and brought her to the successful position she is in today. While environment and action are both important in shaping a person, I feel that my mom thrives in any environment. While she faced many challenges in Mauritius, she took the initiative to overcome these hardships and eventually immigrated to America. Therefore, my mom has been shaped by her actions more than by her external surroundings.

Big Question: Oedipus Rex

My big question was:Does our actions or our external environment define us as individuals?In relation to Oedipus Rex, this question is very applicable and stimulating. As a tragedy geared towards emphasizing the inevitably of fate, this question undermines the importance of action. Oedipus, no matter how hard he tried, was destined to fulfill his fate of murdering his father and marrying his mother. It seemed his actions actually undermined the power of action. Because he chose to act to change his fate, Oedipus helped fulfill the prophecy. Therefore, his actions to avoid his fate actually propelled him towards it. Therefore, his external environment (the people that predicted his fate) had more of an impact on him as an individual. Although, it can be argued that his actions defined his ultimate downfall, and thus his character. Because Oedipus Rex's tragic flaw was his celerity and haste, his thoughtless pursuit for the truth ultimately led to his downfall. His actions, then, in a way defined his fate. Oedipus's actions led to the consequences that awaited him, and didn't necessarily change his fate. His fate was predetermined, and thus his external environment (the soothsayers predicting his fate and the people around him who foresaw his downfall) played a greater impact on him than did his actions. His actions may have expedited the process of his downfall, but his external environment ultimately caused his downfall. Obviously, it is difficult to pinpoint Oedipus as someone defined by actions or surroundings because an either-or outlook on character is not realistic. However, as the tragedy unfolds, it is apparent that his external surroundings have a bigger impact on him than do his actions because his external environment is what causes him to act in the way he does. His surroundings cause him to choose his path of downfall, although inevitable. His actions only determine the matter of time before he falls, while his external surroundings determine that he will fall, and thus show the individual that he will become. Thus, Oedipus Rex's external environment plays a bigger part in determining who he ends up being as a person. He falls, and his surroundings are to be blamed, because they have foretold this fate.