Ignorance is a Double-Edged Sword

We’ve all heard the advice to “enjoy your life when you’re young,” which hints at the excessive number of responsibilities that come with adulthood. Bittersweet emotions are embedded into our heads when we’re experiencing something like nostalgia, manipulating us into thinking that a past, carefree time was a better chapter in life. Such feelings evoke an emotion that seems to cloud our minds into thinking ignorance is where fulfillment comes from; however, it cannot always be bliss. That being said, when is ignorance a feeling of relief, and when is it an obstruction to our growth? In Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, and Assassin’s Creed II, the protagonists Oedipus and Ezio Auditore are both characterized by the ignorance they faced and how their outcomes were different.

The duality of ignorance is further revealed in Oedipus' and Ezio's lives before their revelations. Oedipus leads a life full of privileges and royalty since he was adopted by the Corinthian King and Queen. The truth was never revealed to him as he was brought up, so he never had to worry about what he did. However, the truth would eventually catch up to him as it was prophesied, and it alienates him from the identity that he knows himself by. He was living a fragile life, and once the truth struck, it broke him. Even though his life doesn’t match the class of Oedipus’, Ezio's life prior to his discovery is characterized by love and family. His father’s role as an assassin is masked by his profession as a banker, so Ezio is completely unaware of the Assassins and Templar conflict. The ignorance enables him to live out a carefree youth without running for his life but renders him unprepared for the difficulties he will face following his family’s execution. In contrast, Oedipus' ignorance is bliss because it saves him from knowing the dreadful truth. For Ezio, ignorance is a missed opportunity at knowing what his father did, as it would’ve prepared him for the challenges that he would have to inevitably face. Both the situations of Ezio and Oedipus show that the “The will to not know, like a weak radio signal, fades in and out ” (Lilla, 2024). Even though both characters were keen on knowing the truth, it highlights a very crucial difference between the two and their approach towards the truth, even if the truth is dreadful. There is a difference between understanding what happened and what could’ve been done rather than just acting out of impulsivity.In contrast to Oedipus, who was drowning in his own sorrow, Ezio took this knowledge and turned it around to make something out of himself and change. From this perspective, there is a definite answer for when ignorance was bliss and when it wasn’t.

  The contrast between the experiences of Oedipus and Ezio suggests that some truths are worth uncovering, while others are best left undiscovered. Oedipus’ annihilation was fueled by his unwillingness to be ignorant of the truth, which ended up fulfilling the prophecy. His story provides an example of the risks of gaining extra knowledge and not considering the consequences of doing that. In the case of Oedipus, ignorance was a state of bliss, since the best parts of his life were represented by his periods of ignorance. This instance is a perfect example of how certain truths are better left unknown, which challenges the claim that “Knowledge is power.” Oedipus’ situation is illustrated by Elizabeth Wolgast, who states that “[Innocents] live in a charmed world ... yet their condition ... is fragile and easily shattered by the intrusion of evil ”(Wolgast, 1993, pg. 300). The intrusion of evil in this case is the prophecy, which tests Oedipus’ patience, which shatters his condition of ignorance, which was acting as a shield. Oedipus’ true identity—being the son and husband of Jocasta—disabled him to live with himself, and he could never accept the truth. Blinding himself shows how he wasn’t able to face the consequences of knowing. One would think that Oedipus should’ve avoided the truth at all costs, but how is he supposed to know? This outcome gives the realization that not all truths are valuable and some are intended to be injurious. In Assassin’s Creed II, the truth about his father allowed him to take his legacy farther. The knowledge he got was painful, yet it gave his life a meaningful direction. Changes that took place with Ezio bring to light the possibilities of growth and progress that are attainable in times of brutal reality. His story depicts that not all sad revelations must result in devastating outcomes but can build up strength and empowerment. Both these stories are reminders that there are some truths that are not worth discovering, while some, even if they are painful to know, may unleash the potential for meaningful change, whether it be good or bad, depending on the person.

Ignorance and its role in both Oedipus Rex and Assassin’s Creed II are integral to the character development of each respective medium. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus possesses a flaw in his character—his search for answers despite all the warnings highlights his arrogance. His lack of knowledge about his true identity portrays his life as successful and happy. Once he does get a hint of the prophecy, he has a powerful urge to find out, and his fight against fate is the reason for his downfall.Ignorance is paradoxical in this instance, as it protects him from knowing the cruel truth, but when this truth is found out, the revelation is even more cruel.In Assassin's Creed II, Ezio Auditore’s case is different. He, too, is ignorant about his father being an assassin and leads a life of happiness and recklessness. But unlike Oedipus, Ezio is forced by the surrounding world, following the execution of his father and brother (whom he couldn’t save), to find out who’s in the wrong and to take revenge. In his pursuit, Ezio finds meaning in his life and dedicates his life to service. Oedipus’ revelation led to his destruction, while Ezio's serves as the beginning point for his maturation; he develops from a troublesome person into a purposeful assassin, making the world a better place so the harm done to his family isn’t done to other people. If we compare Ezio to Oedipus, both characters responded to their respective pivotal moments differently, which aligns with what Alexa Thompson stated: “The degree of luck that we feel we experience and the level of risk we are willing to tolerate vary from person to person and depend on the context ”(Thompson, 2024). Where the story of Oedipus allowed one to witness the negative aspects of uncovering some truths, Ezio's story will detail the growth and purpose reached once the truth is known. Looking at ignorance from this angle shows that the repercussions of knowing something you aren’t supposed to are dependent on how someone reacts to it. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Letter to Monica Alexandra Jimenez

  Hello Monica, My name is Thaneshwar Ezhilan, and I am a senior at Troy High School. In my AP Lit class, we had to do an essay and a presentational project on a poem. And I chose to do your poem “Theft” as the poem’s rich and descriptive language caught my eye. This poem confused me at first because of the metaphorical use of ocean jargon and the sudden transition into a call to action against a very real issue. I realized that this poem was not just about someone complaining about themselves but using this as a means of representing the voices of people who may have undergone oppression by something. I came to the conclusion that this poem was about vocalizing the voice of people that were erased due to colonialism. The metaphorical description of the ocean worked really well when it was used to actually illustrate how their voices and events of oppression have been covered or suppressed, like the waves of an ocean. The ocean is also synonymous when referring to a deep, dark area...
Read more

Mersault is a stranger

Image
Point of view, something we learn back in elementary school, can carry hidden and deep meanings within it. In The Stranger by Albert Camus, Mersault’s story is being narrated in the first person, where he’s given many decisions but chooses not to use his own mind. He agrees with everything, whether it comes to when Maman is buried, if Maman’s death was bound to happen, if Raymond was in the wrong for fighting with the guy, or if he should be pals with Raymond, and most importantly whether Raymond’s mistress deserved to be punished or not. While reading, have you thought about how weird it is to ask someone else to write you a letter that would have “a punch and also some things in it to make her sorry” to your ex? It can be reasonable to assume that through the many interactions Raymond has had with Mersault, he’s understood his character and knew he would agree to everything, even for a reason like “he couldn’t write the kind of letter it would take.”  That being said, one detai...
Read more

Live, Laugh, etc

  It’s often said in shows or any form of entertainment that comedy is difficult to pull off. This is due to factors such as timing, relevance, surprise, etc. In The Importance of Being Earnest, I found dialogues such as “The bag is undoubtedly mine. I am delighted to have it so unexpectedly restored to me. It has been a great inconvenience being without it all these years.” to be humorous because of the sarcasm and the absurdity of the situation. From this, you can probably tell that I find satire to be very funny and entertaining.  The game Grand Theft Auto V, which depicts its setting as a mockery and parody of present-day America, is something I found very similar with our reading on Earnest in terms of storytelling with humor. For example, one of the main protagonists, Michael, is very wealthy, but he has a complicated relationship with his family, which requires him to go to ridiculous lengths to try and get accepted. Even though many of these portions are hilarious, ...
Read more