Introduction
In contemporary society, the term “lament” is used in everyday conversations, yet it is an old method of expression with a wide-ranging history in biblical and cultural contexts. In the Bible and ancient culture, lamentation was a specific practice used in written lyrical texts. In the Bible, the lament is applied as a prayerful plea to the creator or a dirge regarding the death of destruction of someone or something. In literary culture, lament has been used in poetry as well as prose writing for a long time. The Biblical book of Job provides a vivid example of lament. Job loses his material possessions to fire. His camel drivers are killed, and a hurricane hits his house, killing his sons and daughters. In his grief, Job laments to God as a plea for sanity and to express his anger to God in humility. Similarly, in Sophocles’ play, “Oedipus the King,” the author uses choruses to highlight the laments of characters such as Creon and Oedipus after the death of Jocasta. In Plato’s allegory of the cave, the entire text represents his lamentation of the predicament in which humanity finds itself. In these three texts, it is clear that lamentation is a major theme. Also, it is clear that lamentation leads to enlightenment in the three texts. In the book of Job, suffering and lamentation represent a redemptive sacrifice. Eventually, he gets rewards for his stoic faith in God and receives enlightenment in the knowledge that he should never judge his Creator. Similarly, in “Allegory of the Cave,” the lament of the imprisoned soul ends in enlightenment, which is represented by physical freedom, representing intellectual freedom. The Book of Job, “Allegory of the Cave” and “Oedipus the King” show that lamentation is an important path to enlightenment.
One of the ways in which lamentation leads to enlightenment is by providing the individual with an opportunity for self-reflection and understanding of their identity. In “Oedipus the King,” Oedipus discovers performs a self-reflection and reexamines himself. “Ah, woe! Ah, woe! Ah, woe! Woe for my misery! Where am I wand’ring in my utter woe? Where floats my voice in the air?” (1364-67). These words represent Oedipus’ realization of the repercussions of the evil deeds he has committed. This lamentation is a source of self-reflection. Also, the lamentations by the chorus cause Oedipus to reflect on his doings. The Chorus laments at Oedipus’ deeds. “What madness strange has come on thee, thou wretched one? What power with one fell swoop,” (1353-55). The chorus also highlights Oedipus as the prime example of fragility in human life. For example, the chorus quickly plays down Oedipus’ triumph over the Sphinx. This action grounds Oedipus and highlights his true identity. Oedipus’ status as a father is also underlined by the Chorus. Similarly, in the book of Job, Job’s lamentations provide him with an opportunity to rediscover his true identity through self-reflection. In his trials, Job reflects on his past and tries to discover what he could have done wrong. For example, he writes, “I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy, and I championed the cause of the stranger.” These words are Job’s defense and his attempt at trying to understand why God had forsaken him. Through these lamentations, his true identity emerges. He highlights the fact that he is not a bad person and does not deserve the punishment that he is receiving. In the “Allegory of the Cave,” Plato laments the human imprisonment of the mind by painting a picture, through words, of how ordinary people are imprisoned in a cave. His descriptions are metaphorical in highlighting the identity of ordinary human beings who have not become enlightened. He writes, “Here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads”(Plato VII). In this excerpt, Plato compares people who do not know the Theory of Forms to chained prisoners in a cave, who cannot turn their heads to see the fire behind them. They only see shadows and hear voices. These words represent Plato’s lamentation on behalf of unenlightened people who have no voice in this story. This lamentation provides an opportunity for self-reflection not only for Socrates and Glaucon but also for the reader. They define the identity of ordinary humans who have not received enlightenment. Also, within the cave, the ordinary humans strive to understand their identities through the shadows and voices they see and hear within the cave. These examples show that lamentation acts as a path to enlightenment by providing an opportunity for self-reflection.
Lamentation also leads to enlightenment by highlighting one’s purpose and destiny in the world. When one discovers what they should be doing in the world, they move close to enlightenment. In the Book of Job, Job questions God over his purpose on earth. He does not understand why God would bring him on earth and let him suffer to the extent that he suffers. He says, “Why does he give light to the one who toils, and life to the depressed, to those who wait earnestly for death, but it does not come. They search for it like a hidden treasure (Job 3:20-23). He implies that people who are depressed should be allowed to die, and those who feel like dying should be allowed to die. These lamentations indicate Job’s plight, which leads him to seek his purpose in life. This pursuit will eventually lead him to enlightenment. Similarly, in “Oedipus the King,” Oedipus tries to uncover his purpose and destiny. He discovers that his fate is already sealed. He would kill his father and marry his mother. Upon discovering that he had killed his father, Laius, Oedipus laments, “Great Zeus! What fate hast thou decreed for me?” (Sophocles line 764). These words represent his attempt at discovering his purpose, which is linked closely to his fate. In the “Allegory of the Cave,” Plato’s lamentation represents enlightenment as a process. He describes the prisoners who are freed before looking at the light. At first, the light strikes their eyes causing pain. This process is a metaphor of the process through which one looks for their purpose in life. In this story, the freed prisoner does not see the space around him because the glare of the light is too much to bear initially. “He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world” (Plato VII). However, he eventually becomes accustomed to the light and sees his environment.
The final step towards enlightenment that lamentation facilitates in the three texts changes. For one to become enlightened, they must change regarding their identity and their thinking. In the Book of Job, God approaches Job after he had lost everything. God approaches him as a result of his lamentations and to provide him with enlightenment. Job had questioned God’s doings in his life. He receives enlightenment when God, through Elihu, teaches him never to question him again and rewards him for his stoic faith. Elihu becomes angry at Job and laments that Job had justified his deeds rather than God’s. Job changes and becomes enlightened after receiving this wisdom. “I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but will proceed no further” (Job 40: 4-5). These words indicate that Job has changed. He has become enlightened with regards to questioning God. In “Oedipus the King,” Oedipus accepts that the Oracle has won. He becomes enlightened regarding his evil deeds. He changes physically by mutilating his eyes so that he can no longer look at the people he has hurt, such as Antigone and Ismene. This change is a metaphor for enlightenment. Further, laments to Creon, begging him to kill him (Oedipus) or banish him. “No human hand but mine has done this deed. What need for me to see, When nothing’s left that’s sweet to look upon?” (Sophocles 1387-1389).These words represent Oedipus’ lamentation after he removes his eyes. He has changed considerably. In the “Allegory of the Cave,” the element of change is represented by the prisoner who is freed. “He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years, and is the guardian of all that is in the visible world” (Plato, Tiller and Huston 18). These words show the change in the enlightened man from the cave, who tries to appear superior to the unenlightened prisoners. In these examples, lamentation leads to and highlights change in the three texts.
Conclusion
In the Book of Job, “Allegory of the Cave” and “Oedipus the King,” lamentation acts as an important path to enlightenment. It enables self-reflection, highlighting one’s purpose and destiny in the world, and underlines change in the enlightened individual. The three texts provide vivid examples in this regard. For example, in the Book of Job, Job, through lamentation, conducts self-reflection. He notes all his good deeds and indicates his disbelief at God allowing him to suffer calamity and loss. Similarly, Oedipus, in “Oedipus the King,” laments because of his evil. He reflects at his bad deeds. In “Allegory of the Cave,” Plato provides a lamentation at the state of ordinary humans who are imprisoned in intellectual caves. He provides a indirect reflection of the prisoners through lamentation. With regards to purpose, Job laments and questions God so that he can understand his purpose. Similarly, Oedipus cries out to Zeus, his god to provide clarity on his purpose and role on the earth. Plato also shows that the path to enlightenment is not straightforward. He uses the metaphor of the blinding light as the freed prisoner navigates his path to enlightenment. Lamentation also expresses change. Job indicates his understanding of God’s workings as part of his lamentation. Oedipus calls on his close friends to banish him or kill him out of remorse. Overall, the three texts underline the role of lamentation in bringing enlightenment.
Works Cited
Plato. The Allegory Of The Cave. [Brea, CA]: P & L Publication, 2010. Print.
Plato, Thomas C. Tiller, and Anne M. Huston. Education: Ends and Means. Lanham, Md: University Press of America, 1997. Print.
Sophocles. Harvard Classics: Oedipus The King. 1909. Print.
