The Ethics of living Jim Crow and Euripides - Essay Example

The Ethics of Living Jim Crow and Euripides The Ethics of living Jim Crow is an autobiography of Richard Wright. The autobiography entails Wright’s experiences in the southern states during the era in which Negros were still discriminated against. In particular, Wright reiterates on how he had to cope with the negative experiences he encountered with white folks when he was growing up in Arkansas and later in elderly age, in Mississippi.The tension between whites and blacks is seen early on in this autobiography, when Wright starts by narrating the childhood wars, he and his black friends fought against the white boys.

They fought with weapons such as cedar poles while hiding behind trees. That war was taken a notch higher when the white boys started using broken bottles in their warfare, which resulted in Wright getting an injury on the head (Wright 289). As Wright becomes elderly, he is forced to look for a job and the only place he can get one is from white people. His whole experience of working for white people is not smooth since he comes across hostile white people. In some jobs, he is forced to leave since he is tortured and in others he adapts by applying tactics from past experiences (Wright 292).

The point of this autobiography is the exemplification of the various survival skills Wright employed as a Negron in a Whiteman environment. Wright learnt how to get what he wanted from a hostile environment and people by applying tactics and strategies which he had learnt the hard way (Wright 298).The moral of the story is that to live in an environment in, which people with hostile characteristic live, it is better learn their behavior and adapt (Wright 298).Euripides’ Medea Medea is a play by Euripides, and its context is based in Corinth.

Medea got married to Jason after betraying his father, and they ended up getting two children. The initial stages of the play depict that Jason has changed his mind and wants to marry Creon’s daughter named Glause. At the same time, Jason has intentions of exiling his wife and two children from Corinth. Medea is to be thrown put of Corinth reason being that she is a sorcerer. Creon and Jason see Medea as someone who is clever and capable of fighting against oppression. They decide to exile her from the country, reason being, she is a sorcerer which means she is cleverer that men (Luschnig 10).

The play is about Medea, a clever woman who is hated by most people around her. The play’s sole theme is on the issue of women oppression. In particular, Medea goes through injustice when Jason and Creon conspire to banish her out of the country. In the play, women are subjected to subjugation by their male counterparts. The play further shows that women are limited in terms of socializing in the public domain. The story also portrays the level of cynicism in men. Cynicism is seen after Jason has exploited the help form Medea, he banishes her out of Corinth (Luschnig 15).

Moral to the story is the fact that women who have extraordinary, talents which surpass those of men are usually discriminated. Women are seen in terms of getting married, sex and giving birth to children. Those women who try to show case their talents and geniuses are exiled and suppressed in the society. It is interesting to note that the talent and genius in women, which is unappreciated by the society usually transforms to hatred and anger (Luschnig 23).Works CitedLuschnig C. "Euripides Medea.

" Materials For The Study Of Women and Gender in the Ancient World (2006): 1-39. PrintWright R. "Richard Wright” 1908-1960." Black Voices; Autobiography. London: Oxford University Press, (1985). 288-298. Print