Grace Casaschi
Mrs. Rugon
Honors English 9, Period 1
24 September 2014
Joe Paterno, a Modern Day Oidipous
In Greek tragedies, the main character has a tragic flaw that brings them to their defeat. For both Oidipous and old Penn State coach Joe Paterno, that tragic flaw is hubris. They put themselves above everyone else, and were blinded by their fame. The tragedy of Joe Paterno’s fall is similar to Oidipous in that both men are cursed with arrogance. Joe Paterno and Oidipous share the tragic flaw of arrogance because both men put their power before everyone else. Their arrogance, power and influence defeated them in the end. Joe Paterno put his reputation and Penn State before the victims of child molester Jerry Sandusky. He expected others
…show more content…
Unlike Oidipous, Joe Paterno never faced the truth: he was a factor in the molestation of numerous boys. When others were informed of the multiple rapes gone known and untold by Joe Paterno, he decided to leave Penn State on a sudden retirement, but was fired before he had the chance. He passed away from lung cancer, never admitting to knowing about the molestation. Oidipous did face up to what he did, by gorging his eyes out and begging to be exiled from Thebes. Oidipous and Paterno endured profound suffering for what they did. Joe Paterno was forced out of his job, and people felt disgust, because his silence was abominable; and pity because his life was ruined. The audience of King Oidipous also felt disgust and pity due to the same logic. Penn State and the city of Thebes suffered profoundly as well. Penn will never be the same, but will rather be known as the “school sex scandal”. A messenger in King Oidipous explains that no one “could wash clean this dwelling place [the palace]” because of how dishonored and off track the city of Thebes already is (127-128). The tragic flaw of arrogance has such a profound and lasting impact on not just the person who is arrogant, but on everything he