Nicholas Scoffield Period 2 1/30/12 AP Lit Part 1 Name- The Fates Source- Greek Summary- The Fates, also

lso known as Moirae, were the goddesses that controlled the destiny or fate of everyone who ever lived. Clotho was the spinner whose responsibility was to spin the thread of life. Lachesis was able to decide how long each person was allowed to live represented by the length of the string. Finally when it was time to die, Atropos cut the thread of life. It is a bit of a mystery as to where the Fates came from. Some people believe that they were the daughters of Zeus which can be argued. The Fates were often portrayed as ugly hags who could always see the future. Source of Conflict- The source of conflict is gods vs. man because the Fates, although very important, are considered to be enemies to most people. Not very many people want their family to die but yet it is the life cycle and the Fates are merely doing their job. They were often thought to be antagonist amongst mortals. Commentary- This story attempts to show that a persons life is predetermined and there is nothing anyone can do to change it. You will only live a certain amount of years and you will die. Nowadays the idea of predestination has been altered based on religion. I enjoy this allusion because its popular and it paints a very clear picture in the mind of the reader because it compares life to string. The fact that life is so short and thin makes the comparison of a string very accurate. The idea that you have a destiny that you cant change brings up an interesting question of agency. Part 2 1. The New York Times article titled Remorseful fates compensate for a player's disappointment. 2. This article alludes to the mythical Fates in Greek Mythology. 3. The proof to the allusion is the sentence, One would think that the Fates are even handed. This clearly shows that the Fates are in control of ones life and therefore he believes that once they have done something bad that something good will then come. 4. This allusion would be effective if they didnt say that the Fates are even-handed. The Fates are not required to serve out anything fair or not fair but rather they care about justice. The Fates do what they like and do not bother themselves with serving up kindness.