Sophocles Philoctetes
Being a leader is leading by example, being true to yourself. Realizing how to be noble and telling the truth. Overcoming every stereotype someone put onto you show that you have to be strong minded and keep yourself to a higher standard. When people try to dehumanize you, its best to know who you are. Philoctetes Knew he was after he figured out that they were putting his character down. He stayed noble and stayed true to his character.
Thursday, September 17th
Class Discussion
Ways people can show leadership on being organize, confident and asserting yourself into that leadership roll.
When it comes to figuring out who want to reconcile you can listen to the poeple’s postions on the sitituation. Also see what they want to do to set up organizations. When presented with stereotypes, how do you over come them? You can have a self refection and how to make peace with the stereotype with in yourself. How can you learn best approaches in supporting each other ? One is have accountability partners, who keeps you accountable for what you do and motivate you to keep focus. Another is having a mentor, or team-bonding exercises and create them relationships inside and out side of the school.
Sunday, September 20th
Notes
There are five scenarios that increase our tendency to dehumanizes others :
- when we have power over them
- when we have harmed them
- when we have witnessed them being harmed
- when we regard them as a member of an out-group (“not one of us”)
- when we regard them as physically disgusting
Odysseus wants Neoptolemus to mess with the mind of Philoctetes. Odysseus wants Neoptolemus To talk bad on him to Philoctetes so that he can convince him that they are in the same predicament. Neoptolemus is comfortable with Treachery (deceptive actions ).Odysseus seem to be afraid of what Philoctetes can do with his arrow. Neoptolemus only agreed to the Deceitfulness for the praise. Aged Phoenix and sons of Theseus are coming top get Philoctetes by either willingness or force due to Prophecy. The Merchant came to warning Neoptolemus to get out of the land before they come. Philoctetes gives his arrow to Neoptolemus because he wasn’t feeling well and he trusted him. Neoptolemus felt guilty, so he told Philoctetes the truth about everything. He did that thinking he’ll still come but he didn’t. Odysseus and the men showed trying to take Philoctetes. Even though Philoctetes was weak he stood his ground with them and refused to go. When Odysseus tries to take him, Philoctetes threatens to kill himself. Neoptolemus leaves with Odysseus leaving Philoctetes feeling like he was unworthy. Philoctetes wanted to get revenge on them so he can get his arrow back. In the end Neoptolemus came back for Philoctetes to help him off the land and also give him his arrow back. To them both the nobleness and friendship mattered more.
The Assignment
Through out this story you see that odysseus is the one with the deceitful hand. He wants to Neoptolemus to deceive Philoctetes and take the fall of deceitfulness knowing it’s not noble. As Neoptolemus was doing his wrong to Philoctetes he realized what great of a person Philoctetes was. All Philoctetes had to do was be himself and make Neoptolemus feel guilty for not being true to himself and falling into Odysseus trap. Odysseus only wanted Philoctetes for his own good but knew he couldn’t get to him without deceiving him and throughout this story dehumanizing him for who he was. Odysseus knew Philoctetes was stronger than all the man especially with his arrow. There were three important key texts to me. The first was lines 86–122 because Neoptolemus knew what Odysseus was asking of him was going against his character but he did it for the glory. Odysseus didn’t want to do it himself because he was afraid so he convinced Neoptolemus the most un-noble task. Another key text I found was line 893–926. These lines show where Neoptolemus knew he was not being him noble self by deceiving him. Philoctetes was noting but honest and kind to Neoptolemus and seeing him hurt brought the empathy out of Neoptolemus. He felt wrong and decided to do the most noble thing he could do and be truth. Another key text is lines 1258- 1313. These lines shows Neoptolemus apologizing to and giving him his life back. When Neoptolemus took Philoctetes arrow it was taking his nature from, taking away the one thing that made Philoctetes himself. In the end Philoctetes had a new friend and was free from that lonesome land.
When I read this text I was able to see the way people dehumamnize people to their peers. They talk down on them but not because they are superior to them but because they know when that person realizes their strength that they are inferior to them. Odysseus saw that Philoctetes was weak to what has happened to him so he wanted to make it worse. Philoctetes had a bad infected foot and couldn’t heal it. Odysseus knew his real strength but since he wasn’t at his best Odysseus knew that was the time to do treachery onto him.
Tuesday, September 22nd
Class Discussion
Talked aboust study habits and how we all study different ways. I tend to study last minute because I remember information better and easier. I work better with a little distraction like music so I try to keep my phone not to far from me. When I don't understand the material I try reading it until I get the understanding or I read out loud.
Dehumanization is opposite of leadership because it's not pushing someone to be better its squashing that person’s potential. With dehumanization you are denying agency or experience. When you’re a you would want to strive not to be dehumanizing to others because you want to motivate and push them to better. When you dehumanize someone you are breaking them down and they don’t feel they can ever be successful. In the case of Philoctetes he was dehumanized behind his back and to his face without knowing. When he realized he was being dehumanize because of the illness he had he was more focus on the friendship and being betrayed by Neoptolemus.
Is lying okay to benefit if it benefit someone else. Neoptolemus was trying figure is it ok to lie and wasn’t totally okay with lying to Philoctetes. He started to feel that guilt and saw the friendship him and Philoctetes was developing. Neoptolemus and Philoctetes talked about being noble and he felt guilty becaus ehe was not being his noble self. In this case lying was not the benefit of Philoctetes is was actually going to harm him in the end so Neoptolemus told him the truth.
Through this story Neoptolemus and Philoctetes developed a friendship and you can see that the friendship was very important to both of them. Neoptolemus felt guilty for trying to deceive Philoctetes and caved and told him because he saw the friendship they were development.
Soteria(soter): Deliverance, salvation. This refers to when Odysseus was telling Neoptolemus to deceive Philoctetes.
When something happen is the the person of authority fault or should we focus on our own leadership development. This statement relates to how Neoptolemus thought it was the fault of Odysseus for him doing treachery to Philoctetes but really he should’ve stuck to his own morales. He knew that what he was doing upon Philoctetes was wrong and not noble of him. Neoptolemus kept speaking of himself as this high noble person but was very not noble to Philoctetes when he was trying to deceive him. Neoptolemus can’t blame Odysseus for him committing the wrong, he can only look on this situation, learn to be better, and now to follow someone when he know what they’re saying or doing is wrong.
