Example research essay topic: Adam And Eve Parents And Children - 983 words

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Adam, Eve, and Oedipus the results of their parents mistakes? Although quite different according to the nature of the story, Adam and Eve, being the story from the Bible, and Oedipus, being merely a Greek myth, both narratives seem to discuss a very similar idea. The concept of the relationship between parents and children is acutely demonstrated in both accounts of Adam and Eve and Oedipus. The reader faces a very significant problem in both stories. This main important message claims to be the failure of parents to give children adequate information in order for the children to make proper and correct choices in the nearest future and further in their life. It becomes very clearly shown in both accounts the mistakes the parents perform that later on lead to the mistakes their children make which leads to unpleasant and often very tragic results.

To be more specific, in both the Creation and Oedipus stories, the lack of the very essential information, the parents are a result of, forms hardships and difficulties the main characters of the narratives face along with the final unavoidable dramatic and tragic end. In the Creation story, the reader finds God being the formal parent and the Creator of a man and a woman. Adam and Eve truly consider Him their parent, for He was actually the one who gave life to them. The Lord formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2: 7) Although, God was a truly protective and caring parent, for He created a beautiful Garden of Eden (Genesis 2: 8), and provided His children with all the pleasures and necessities of life, He failed in making the detailed explanation to the children. He did not even seem to communicate with His children a lot, for He was omnipresent and knew everything that happened with his creations. The most important thing God failed to accomplish was the distinction that had to be made between the life and death.

Indeed, God didnt really explain what death was to His new creations. He just commanded to his children, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die. (Genesis 2: 16 - 17) How could Adam and Eve known what death was supposed to mean if they werent actually aware of the concept of life and didnt understand how they were granted the possibility to live? Therefore, both Adam and Eve did not fully understand the danger of the actual eating from the tree. They were naturally not afraid of the unknown concept and couldnt realize the risk of violating Gods command. Many researches comment the passage of disobedience saying Adam and Eve had the choice of eating from the Tree or not, however even though the choice was indeed theirs, they didnt have enough options to avoid making this choice. They were not properly informed by God about the concept of death, and the destructive result of their disobedience, thus they could hardly be blamed for their misconduct.

Nevertheless, the story end up dramatically, with God throwing Adam and Eve out of the garden and making them simple mortals, without the gift of eternal life, filling their life with hardships and difficulties. Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. (Genesis 3: 17) The myth of Oedipus claims to be another example of parents misconduct that resulted in the wrong decisions of children, and a dramatic ending. Laius and Jocasta, Oedipus biological parents, led by the fear of the prophecy send their son to die in the woods instead of making him into a true-loving son and tell him about the prophecy, and give their son the choice when he grows up a little. The secret of the parents becomes the most crucial event in the story. Polybus and Merioue take Oedipus as their own son again keep the secret of his not being their biological son, and give another push to the tragic end of the story. Oedipus, not being aware of Laius being his father kills him, thus fulfilling the prophecy, revealed to him by the oracle, I say the murderer of the man whose murder you pursue is you. (Tiresias in Oedipus the King, p. 21) Oedipus as well as Adam and Eve, can hardly be blamed for his cruelty, only for his ignorance his parents presented their son with.

Oedipus in the myth actually does his best to avoid the fulfillment of the prophecy, yet lacks the knowledge about his real parents, thus ends up killing himself, being married to his biological mother and having killed his biological father. In the myth both parents of Oedipus tend to become the actual cause of all the hardships and mistakes of the main character, for they hide the truth and lie to their son. The parents didnt succeed in providing the information necessary for Oedipus to make a right choice in his life and not kill his own father. Therefore, the reader notices the similarity in both stories concerning the relationship between parents and children. Parents tend to hide the truth or just provide little information to their children about the problems they might encounter with. This lack of proper communication results in a tragic outcome in both narratives Adam and Eve disobey God and are thus taken out of Eden and severely punished for their sin, Oedipus actually commits a suicide facing the inability to bear his killing his own father and marrying his own mother.

Bibliography. The Student Bible (New International Version). Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996. Sophocles.

Oedipus the King. Denver: Mac Murray, 1998.

Research essay sample on Adam And Eve Parents And Children