Powell1 Eryn Powell Dr.

Brick CORE 179 24 October 2013 The Importance of Knowledge: Oedipus Rex and The Confessions The self narrated memoir of a saint and the story of a king passed down through the oral tradition are two ends of the spectrum in terms of the actual text goes; however, one theme that is consistent throughout both Oedipus Rex and The Confessions is the theme of knowledge and how it is used. In both stories there are examples of three kinds of knowledge that impact each story in different ways. As a king falls from grace and a promiscuous young man finds his, logic, semantics and empirical knowledge add to these characters and their stories. Gaining knowledge from ones mistakes can make future situations better; both Oedipus and Augustine have their downfalls but it is in comparing quotes and passages between the two text it becomes apparent that through different kind of knowledge Oedipus could have learned from past experiences, much like Augustine learned from his past. One of the many different kinds of knowledge is logical knowledge; this kind of knowledge is based on the premise of understanding the relationship between one idea and another (Pecorino). When one hears the term logic dictates it implies that there is an understanding sequence of events and the cause and effect principle. As the reader progresses through both Oedipus Rex and The Confessions logical knowledge is plays a large role in the lives of both the character Oedipus and the man, Saint Augustine, looking back on his past in The Confessions. In the story of Oedipus Rex there are actions that are taken based off of the idea of logic that lead to many harsh consequences.

Powell2 Very few characters in the story of Oedipus wisely use their logical knowledge in a way that does not backfire. When the King Laius and his wife Jocasta are told the future of their son, that he was fated to murder his father sleep with his mother, they used the logical knowledge that if they were to kill their child, then no such fate could come true. This is one of the many times the characters of this story try to use logic to their advantage, yet only make things worse. While Oedipuss wife tries to appease him with the knowledge that she and Laius avoided their fate by outthinking the gods when Laius fused his ankles tight together and ordered other men to throw him out to die, wanting him to believe that he too could use logic to fix his problems (Sophocles 863-4). The characters in Oedipus Rex often use their twisted logic to try to get out of situations or change a wrong that was done in the past; however, Saint Augustine uses logic to question others and gather that understanding to use to his advantage. Throughout early sections of his confessions, Augustine seems to be naturally smart during his childhood, but often condemns the way in which he focuses this knowledge when looking back. When he reflects on the time that he spent wondering about and studying astrology it is his logical knowledge that makes him question. The then young Augustine is warned against using astrology as an outlet for his intellect, but logic dictates the man must not know much since astrologers could often make predictions which proved true (Sophocles 61). Much like Oedipus, in this instance Augustine tried to use logic to challenge someone elses knowledge. However, what Oedipus could have learned from Augustine in this situation is to be open to changing his logic without such a fight. Augustine was willing to listen to the older mans wisdom shift his logic, which became another step toward finding God. It is the logical kind of knowledge that challenges Oedipus and is used to challenge by Augustine, but the knowledge of words can affect these two stories just as well.

Powell3 Semantic Knowledge is and understanding of words and their definitions and can change the way a person interprets a story or event (Pecorino). Knowing what a word says verses what it means is an important difference to note. Semantics can change the mood and tone of any given story; in both Oedipus and Augustine have instances where a word or phrase can set up a theme or idea. The story of Oedipus Rex revolves around the prophecy that Oedipus would murder his father and sleep with his mother, and it is the understanding of the prophecy that makes so much trouble. Throughout the story Oedipus and his parents are haunted by this prophecy that none of them wish to believe; perhaps it was not their belief in the prophecy, but rather their understanding of it that caused all of their problems. The word prophecy is often paired with the idea of fate. A message from a higher being channeled through an earthbound person that is aften fated to come true and can often end badly if challenged (would be a personal definition), implies that it cannot be changed. Many of the characters in this story want to believe that their lives are self-governed and that they have a choice in the path that their lives take. As Jocasta speaks on behalf of her husband, asking Why should a man whose life seems ruled by chance live in fear, she shows her lack of understanding in the difference between a prophecy, which is often seen as set in stone, verses a vision which is more often taken as a guideline than a rule (Sophocles 976-7). The characters instead create a self-fulfilling prophecy that leads to more trouble. This kind of attention to semantics is what adds to a person or characters experience and is also demonstrated by Augustines understanding of sin. In the first section of The Confessions, Augustine speaks on infancy and early childhood in a way that most people would never think of or interpret as sinful. While most believe infancy to be the prime of innocence Augustine prefers to think that the only innocent feature in babies

Powell4 is the weakness of their frames and that their minds are far from innocent (Augustine 20). He writes that jealousy of babies surpasses that of a grown child or adult, meaning that babies are in fact great sinners. Ones definition of the word sin can be the same, but the semantic knowledge of the word can quickly change. Sin is not often associated with infancy, yet Augustine looks and changes the meaning of the word to expand in ways that most would never think of. Though one might not agree with Augustines conclusion on the matter of sin, Oedipus could have taken this theory of looking more closely at the message or fine print to avoid some of the extra heart break. Even so, semantic and logical knowledge are not the only ways that Oedipus could have learned and avoided trouble by using some of Augustines methods. Empirical Knowledge uses observation based off of the senses to come to a conclusion; a good example of this would be the idea of gravitation and scientific method. Using observations to gain knowledge makes empirical knowledge one of the most important kinds of knowledge because it is not based on potently faulty logic or interpretation. It is also important to note that in this context, knowledge does not imply belief and belief does not imply knowledge (Pecorino). Once Oedipus has acknowledged that that the prophecy could be true and call upon the servant how took him into the woods all that time ago, it is the empirical knowledge that that he gathers while questioning the man that leads him to the truth. The back and forth between the servant and Oedipus in understanding what happened all those years ago shows how empirical knowledge is built off of observation and restructured as more information is added. As the questions are piled on Where did you get it? You mean she gave the child to you? If that was true, why did you give the child to this old man? the truth comes to light (Sophocles 1392-1411). As Oedipus learns the new information he builds on the information that he already know to come to the conclusion that the prophecy has come true.

Powell5 Much like Oedipus, Augustine had to learn the skill of gathering and understanding empirical knowledge; from his youth to looking back while writing The Confessions there is a clear definition as to when Augustine perfects and personalizes his empirical knowledge. As the narration in this memoir type autobiography, Augustine uses a great deal of empirical knowledge in order to justify his claims and make his points. Going back to when he was speaking on his infancy and the sins that a baby can and does commit is a perfect example of this strategy. Augustine praises God that he allow[s] a person to infer by observing others what his own beginnings were like and that it is through this empirical and observed knowledge that he is able to make such claims about his sinful past as an infant. In this method, Oedipus and Augustine are both on even ground. These two very different stories both hold key elements of finding the truth through knowledge and faith; sometimes one is being used to empower the other. Throughout the journey that both Oedipus and Augustine take, the use of logic, semantics and empirical knowledge plays an important role in how they continue on in their individual quest. Both Oedipus and Augustine have their flaws and could have made better choices along the way, but Augustines methods that he learned throughout is past mistakes could have greatly improved the situation that Oedipus found himself in. The different kinds of knowledge and the different ways that these two figures used it to their advantage are impressive; however, some things you have to learn the hard way.

Powell6 Work Cited Augustine, Saint. The Confession. Trans. Maria Boulding. Ed. John E. Rotelle. New York: New City, 1997. Print. Pecorino, A., Philip. Types of Knowledge. [Online Textbook Notes]. Retrieved from: http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/socialSciences/ppecorino/INTRO_TEXT/Chapter%205%20Epi stemology/Types_of_knowledge.htm. Sophocles. "Oedipus the King." Records.viu.ca. Trans. Ian Johnston. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2013. <http://records.viu.ca/~Johnstoi/sophocles/OedipustheKing.htm>.