Oedipus's prophecy began when Cadmus, the founder of Thebes, enraged the god Apollo by killing Apollo's favorite snake. Because of Cadmus's kill, his descendants are forced to live under a curse. Thus, a prophecy states that the son of Laius, the current king of Thebes, will kill his father and marry his mother.

Socrates proves to his audience that humans have no control over their fate by showing multiple failed attempts of people trying to prevent Oedipus's horrible prophecy from coming true. First, Laius simply tries to kill his son by asking one of his servants to leave the baby at Mt. Cithaeron to die. Unfortunately, his attempt at avoiding fate is useless when his servant pities the infant and takes him into a caring family elsewhere.

Once one discovers what his or her destiny will be, he or she will waste time, trying to avoid the impossible. When Oedipus himself finds out about his awful future, he flees Corinth, the city where his parents supposedly are staying. Without realizing his poor decision, he comes into a messy situation with his unfamiliar father. Long after this event, he speaks with Jocasta, his wife and mother about his realization: “I was in that place where three roads meet…the man in front, and the old one, ordered me out of the path. I refused…I killed him. I killed them all…I am the one for whom my curse was meant!” (19). By this time, Oedipus has already reached the point where his prophecy is complete. After declaring vengeance for his father, he finally realizes that he has cursed himself. Therefore, Oedipus's discovery of his fate turned against him.

Free will has no effect on fate, according to Sophocles's play. In fact, one's discovery of his or fate only does destruction. Because Oedipus tries to avoid his fate, he realizes that he helped “accomplish” it when it was too late.

I always knew I wanted to be married and have three children. I've never known what career I wanted to have, although I was a secretary for almost ten years

Sometimes in your life, your eyes can be opened to a certain awareness of why things happen to you. A moment where it all makes sense, and you realize you had to go through certain terrible things in order for something better to happen. I call it an epiphany, but my computer doesn't recognize the word.

When you have an epiphany, it's an enlightenment that you want to share with others. Something profound in your life that you may need someone else's perspective on. If you have a true friend, they will want to listen to you and offer feedback. If they are not a true friend, they will not be interested. Since my true friends don't get to see me very often, I've decided to write my stuff down.

Everyone has their own ideas and beliefs about how and why we exist. The following are my opinions and we all know what opinions are like, don't we? (In case not: opinions are like @ssholes, everyone has one and some of them really stink.)

According to a well renowned psychic, before each of us is born, we sit in heaven and plan what experiences we will have, and what lessons we will learn along the way. Wouldn't it be interesting if this is actually how things operate? That life is like our own personal school and we're supposed to learn certain things before we die? Since I believe in this theory, I have come to realize the experiences that have led me to this point in my life have a purpose.

All the pain, heartache, rejection and negativity I've experienced was not in vain. I've experienced incredible amounts of negativity in my thirty-seven years on this planet, that's for sure. But to think I actually planned it all to happen this way, it sounds kind of crazy. Most of the time I'm quite perplexed as to what I was thinking when I was charting my life.

I've experienced incredible amounts of negativity and rejection, that's for sure. My adventures, up until now are broken down into chapters. If you liked the first chapter, you can read the next one soon. If you find me annoying already, then perhaps your tolerance level needs adjusting.

It falls to parent therefore to acquaint them with this transition period. In order to help their children through it; they need to be constantly ready to make a helpful remark, to give needed assurance, and to provide answers to delicate questions. Perhaps the most striking of a threshold period is the child rapid growth. Within a few months a youngster will shoot up several inches in height. The feminine characteristics of young womanhood become apparent.

The capacity to grow constitutes one of the greatest gifts God has bestowed upon His creatures. Growth is vital to human existence. The infant must grow in order to become a child. The child must grow in order to become a youth, and the youth continues to grow until becomes an adult.

Success in life depends not only on physical growth. In order to live abundantly a person must also grow intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. Physical growth is usually completed before age of twenty. Intellectual, emotional, and spiritual should continue, however, throughout life.

Girls usually reach their growth spurt when they are between nine and thirteen. During this period a girl becomes a young woman. By the end of the growth spurt, she becomes just about as tall as she will ever be.
A girl in the threshold period has reason to be happy when she is no longer a child. However, if she is not informed on the changes that take place within her body, she may become worried and anxious over what these changes means. It is in this situation a kindly and sympathetic mother can be of great help to her daughter. As the mother explains the events that take place in a girl's body her daughter will feel reassured that she is normal and will develop a poise and self-confidence that will even improve her personality.

During childhood, a girl's body contains certain organs different from those of a boy. Those are the organ that will enable her later, to become a mother. During childhood they do not function simply presenting a miniature, they await the time when womanhood arrives.

Chief among the organs in a girl's body which brings about the changes of this threshold are the ovaries. There are two of these, one on the top right and one on the left, in the lower part of the abdomen. The ovaries perform two duties. First they produce a chemical substance, estrogen, which circulate throughout the body and influence the various tissues to follow the feminine pattern of development. Becoming active for the first time during the threshold period, the ovaries are responsible for stimulating rapid increase in height, for bringing about a broadening of the hips, for stimulating the development of the breasts, for prompting the growth of hair under the arms and in the pubic area, and for causing a maturing of the uterus (womb). The second function of the ovaries is to produce the female sex cells, called ova. The purpose of the cell is to help in producing a new life to furnish a tiny bit of material that assist in forming a baby. But a baby has two parents-a mother and a father.

The creator therefore planned the life of human beings in such a way that a baby comes into being only when a female sex cell, produced by one of the mother's ovaries is joined by a male sex cell, produced by the baby father. When the union of these two sex cells occurs within a woman body, a new life is started and the woman is said to be pregnant. The mother should be able to educate the girl child being wise enough not to tell the whole story at one sitting. She should tell her daughter little at a time.

Educating the girl child therefore, on the primary basis of her developmental process into entering adulthood is simply unavoidable; this certainly will go a long way in making the mind of the growing girl child be at peace.

James drops out of high school after his stepfather dies. His mother also starts riding a bike to grieve over his death. I will have more details on that later. His older brother Richie lies to James, saying he was adopted. In 1966 Black Power permeates the neighborhoods of Brooklyn. James' siblings would march around their house singing songs like “Blacks Are Scared of Revolution.” A Black Panther is standing next to his mom at the school bus stop, so he turns around and punches his kid. James' older brother Billy {AKA William.} gets beaten for not memorizing a bible verse he was supposed to recite in front of everyone in the church congregation. Helen becomes a hippie and leaves home.

James' and company make a commitment to going to school.Richie goes to court for a crime he did not commit. James, Kathy, and 2 uncles were driving in a car and the driving uncle was drunk and went 100 M.P.H. up the I-95.His stepfather suffers a stroke and dies of a relapse. James then begins smoking weed and drinking alcohol. After being kicked out of summer school he would be sent to his sister Jack's house. Jack let him, a 15 year old, hang out with other drunks at a place they called The Corner. A drunk named Chicken Man gives James advice on how to handle things, for he was fired. Chicken Man gets into a fight with a woman, forgets about it, and is stabbed and killed later. One day James' mother decides to learn how to drive. In doing so, she nearly injures James' 2 year old niece, Z.Richie gets a ticket for making an illegal U-turn. James gets into the American Youth Jazz Band.

He later gets into Oberlin College. He speaks with Aubrey Rubenstein, who yields info about his mother's past. James' mother has a reunion with Francis Falcone.I recommend this book for children ages 13 and up because it has a lot of profanity. The book was good, but it had too many irrelevant parts to each chapter. On a scale of 1-10, I would rate this book as a 7.Like for example in chapter 8; it says that they were bitten by animals they kept which has nothing to do with brothers and sisters. Another example is in chapter 16 it talks about his stepfather's first car which has nothing to do with his mother learning how to drive his new car. In chapter 10 James asks what a tragic mulatto is which has nothing to do with school.

In the short fictional story, Killings, by Andre Dubus, the author uses an approach of psychological criticism with great amount of some compelling and dramatic scenes. It appears as if Dubus strategy to developing the characters and settings are from a similar background of his family and home or how he uses his mind by extending itself to draft up some unusual scenes. Although the author is so careful with his themes and plot, his approach to developing the story is not chronological, but is of an order that plays with one's mind psychologically. The author forces the critic to stay with the story until the end. His style of Oedipus complex is overwhelming that even I myself was trapped reading it. At first, I started assuming who was the killer or killers, and the more I read the short compelling story, the more I ended up changing my mind and then assuming another character. It is not until I reached the end when all the pieces of the puzzle fit together and I made sense of what he is doing to my mind. The author did a good job holding me to the end. I consider this story frightening and could be a reality and it is possible that something of this sort may have taken place in the author's hometown.

Another example with an approach of psychological criticism is Faulkner's short fiction, Barn Burning. Both this story and the Killings share some similar straits in which the characters suffer from deep emotional problems. In the Barn Burning, the father of the boy possesses some hidden straits of child's brute force and ignorance who seeks shelter from his son. Even though the father is the man, it turns out that he is actually the child and the son is the man. The possessive attitude of the father is a sign of weakness and not wanting his son to speak by driving fear into his son with an amazing stare made him the father a very poor character. It is evident as to the culture the father grew up was a little different than his son and any hope of sinking the father would have come from the son and not from the father's generation.

The poem, After Making Love We Hear Footsteps, by Galway Kinnell is one of home and family. Since this poem is a condensed form of literature, it does not give much of a clue about the character. Yet, it is written in an informal style with well put together diction. It is also a simple reading which is very easy to understand but only in the poet's eyes can the poem be interpreted. This poem also follows the psychological approach. A critic will assume that a married couple is making love during the night and the young child is bothered by the movements and sounds coming from them in his dream. The child being afraid leaves his room to be with his parents where he could find comfort. As a critic, I am moved not so much of the couple making love but the child needing attention and wanted to be protected. My understanding is that everyone desires to be loved even as a child and everyone needs someone to comfort them as protection.

Finally, the last poem on my list is the Rite of Passage by Sharon Olds written by Sharon Olds in 1983. In this poem, the character transforms the young boys as young adults because they carry the same attitude even at an early age. They are aggressive, mucho, and wanting to be in control. From a psychological standpoint, the tendency to kill can be found in any one if it gets a chance to reveal itself and it will show up as early as possible in childhood. In spite of boys are going to be boys, Olds made it clear when putting a small group of boys together, and listening to their stories, one can get a real understanding of what the mind is capable of doing. The attitude will continue the same way in adults also. Some may say it does not mean anything when a child uses the phrase, “I can kill a two year old”. In Olds' mind, that kind of behavior is no joke. The potential for a seven year old with that kind of mind set is very dangerous.

From all these short stories and poems, which are classified as psychological criticism, they do share some deep emotional social problems. The Rite of Passage gave us an example of what is in the mind of a young child and the Killings demonstrate the same attitude as adult. Society must take a good look as to how young people are raised because all these writings that I have read seem to portray the evils of society. From anger, murder, and the will for survival are all part of human behaviors. Again, how these authors play out some amazing characters also makes on wonders where their minds are coming from. Barn Burning and After Making Love We Hear Footsteps, are more subtle but they leave me in suspicion. In fact, all these home and family category of poems or short stories were very interesting, after you finished reading the., It left a lasting impact on your thoughts and feeling mental and physical that you will never forget.

There were three sisters living with their widowed mother in a small town where everyone knew each other. Tita, the youngest one, was destined to stay in the house to take her of her mother until she died while her older sisters, Rosaura and Gertrudis, were allowed to marry. It seemed like Tita was born engaged to the kitchen, since when she came to this world on the kitchen table, with all the scents and different smells. She would spend most of her young years doing what she did best and was allowed to do; cooking. Mama Elena, Tita's mom, had extremely strong rules and did not listen to her daughter's desires, or her own for that matter.

One day, a handsome young man named Pedro visited the sisters and fell deeply in love with Tita. Since she could not marry him, he agreed to marry Tita's sister, Rosaura. As horrible as this marriage might have seemed, Nacha, the maid, overheard that Pedro only accepted so he could get closer to his love Tita. The hidden love continued and grew stronger in their hearts as time went by, but there was nothing these secret lovers could do. Tita had to cook the wedding cake and she cried so much over the icing that everyone who ate it remembered their lost loves and ended up melancholic and nostalgic. Apparently, nobody ever really marries their real love.

Tita's only friend, Nacha, passes away and she is left by herself to deal with her dire situation. Pedro was still in love with her and her food but he had to eat Rosaura's hideous food. More tension is raised when Gertrudis, who was very open minded and free spirited runs away with some rebels that were attracted to the house by her scent caused by Tita's passionate recipe. However, this has to stop since Rosaura and Pedro had conceived a child.

Luckily, Tita gets to take care of this child because her sister could not feed her son Roberto. When Mama Elena sees how close Tita is getting to the baby and his father, she decided to send the couple to San Antonio with the newborn. Because of this separation, Tita and decides to hide away from the trouble and loss by taking care of a pigeon. It is then when news arrive from San Antonio that Roberto died. Tita goes mad and is sent to a mental house in the United States. There she meets Dr. John Brown, who saves her from dismay and later asks her to marry him. Chencha was Tita's good friend who carried the news to Mama Elena. After her mother dies, she has to return and see Pedro again; tension builds up and Tita's heart is torn apart between the love of her life and the new man who saved her.

Esperanza, Rosaura's second child, is born and named by Tita. This makes Rosaura very jealous and makes Tita more intimate with the girl and her father. This younger sister's heart is compared to the water used to prepare chocolate that is boiled many times before actually making the chocolate. The passion keeps building up until Tita and Pedro cannot resist anymore and get intimate. After losing her virginity, Tita doubts if she should marry John and wonders if she is pregnant. The ghost of Mama Elena haunts her daughter for her betrayal.

At the end, Gertrudis returns to the ranch for a party and they all have a good time. Tita is freed from her mom's spirit after she stands up to her. Some years later, Rosaura dies of gases provoked by Tita's cooking after an argument, freeing Pedro. Her daughter was also freed and goes on to marry Alex; John Brown's son. As for Tita and Pedro, they were passionately ever after; they died together out of passion.

Dear Tita,

I know it is very hard to choose between a sister and a mother, and the man you love. Pedro just married Rosaura so that he could be closer to you. Sometimes guys make the worst choices out of love, but you have to understand him and comfort him.

It is very nice of you to take care of their child, and love him like your own. Be careful with these people because your sister is very bitter and jealous. You know what happens to passionate women when they are angry, some are even capable of making a whole wedding cry desperately. I would advise you to stay close to that child since he is your most precious relative now. Do not let anything or anyone take him away or put him in any danger. Remember that he needs you to survive.

Pedro will come to you if he really loves you and only then will you know if he is worth it. Do not wait for him so anxiously or get your hopes up, just live your life and he might drop by soon. Be proud of being a woman and value yourself or no one else will. You have seen even your mom being cruel and violent towards you; please do not do the same to yourself. The only one that can get you out of the whole you are getting in is yourself. I say we go out to the town, meet some guys like your sister Gertrudis did. Then you can go away far from all judgment and your evil mother. I will go with you, and we can take a couple of guys if you really want to. Maybe Pedro was not meant to be your husband, maybe he will regret not waiting for you, but do not sit here and wait to find out.

Waiting for you,

Yania ?