So compelling is the drama of Aeschylus’ Orestain Trilogy that it will be treated with attention paid to the strong female character of Clytemnestra. I realize that I treated the play Agamemnon before, and I shall treat it again with more depth in this entry. In addition to Agamemnon, I will examine The Eumenides, the third play completing the circle of the Trilogy.

The story of Clytemnestra and her husband, the King of kings, Agamemnon, requires establishing some historical and mythical background in order for us to truly understand the happenings that the Trilogy revolves around. Therefore, necessary data will be provided, in the briefest form possible, to bring understanding to a closer range, and this entry will serve as prelude to the actual analysis. Do not despair if you find the ancient Greek names difficult, you may replace them with modern names in your head if this helps you understand the story. The depths of the drama are eternally meaningful, patience in reading this entry will be rewarded with unfailing knowledge.

To relate bits of the history of Greek “Olympian” Gods, it is crucial to learn that the regular names one hears of, Zeus, Hera, Apollo, Athene,and the others, were not at all times in Greek history the rulers of the universe. Before them came two generations, the first one being that of Ouranos, who was later overthrown by Cronos. Cronos’ son, the famous Zeus, overpowered his father and seized the throne and control of all beings, this was the new religion. Now Zeus’ power, being as fresh and fragile as it was, is said to be “harsh”. The chorus in Prometheus Bound literally say, regarding his new rule, that “Power newly won is always harsh”.

Perhaps the most important figures in the Trilogy, aside from Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, are the Furies. Those are female personifications of vengeance, their job is to punish crime. In Greek thought, Justice equaled Vengeance. Therefore The Furies were the tools to set the scales right, and to restore Justice. They hunt down wrong-doers, those caught red-handed committing matricide, patricide, or breaking codes of hospitality. The Furies were considered part of the Old Generation, they are said to be the guardians of law when the state proper did not exist. Bearing that they make part of an old system will help us understand the events of the Trilogy much better.

The short mythical background secured, let us move on to the historical facade.

Helen, mostly known for her captivating beauty, was Clytemnestra’s sister. Their mother was Leda, and their father was Zeus. Upon maturing into the breath-taking female that she was, Helen received outrageous numbers of suitors who desired her. The suitors were so infatuated with her physical attributes that they all agreed to consider her word final, and to aid the man to be her husband with their armies, should his possession of her ever be endangered. Helen chose auburn-haired Menelaus, who happened to be Agamemnon’s brother. This choice was followed by Clytemnestra’s choosing Agamemnon as her husband and had with him three children: Orestes, Electra, and Iphigenia. The godly ancestry of the two women (Helen and Clytemnestra) is very important in understanding the status of the female in Greek thinking, this to be later explained.

The Olympian Gods were invited to a wedding, save for a minor power named Eris. This Eris came uninvited, and to cause some trouble, he threw an apple on which were inscribed the words ” For the fairest”, on the table where the Goddesses were seated. Hera, wife of Zeus, Aphrodite, Goddess of love, and Athene, Goddess of wisdom, all quarreled over who gets the apple. To solve this problem, Zeus sent the three female deities to the most beautiful of mortal youth, Paris of Troy. He gave the apple to Aphrodite, for she had promised him the most beautiful woman on earth as prize. This woman was Helen.

Mythology and history incredibly intertwine in the Greek world, thus fueling the imagination of the passionate. Read on.

The Trojan War broke after Helen eloped with Paris to Troy. Her husband, Menelaus, called for the ex-suitors of Helen, the Kings, to live up to their earlier pact. Agamemnon, King of kings, led phenomenal fleets and set sail for Troy to recover Helen. Naturally, he left his wife, Clytemnestra, behind, in the city of Argos.

In Argos there lurked a threat to Agamemnon’s empty throne, personified in his cousin, Aegisthus. The blood-feud between the two is rooted to their fathers, Atreus father of Agamemnon, and Thyestes father of Aegisthus. The two old men argued about who should succeed to the throne of Argos, and to prevent his brother from ruling the kingdom, Atreus had to attach an unforgivable sin toThyestes’ fame, one that would render him permanently taboo in the eyes of the citizens. What better way to do that than to make the man devour the flesh of his own sons? The wholesome meal was served in a banquet, Thyestes was exiled with his remaining son Aegisthus.

Atreus, Agamemnon’s father, got away with the crime. But Vengeance was to haunt his family for eternity until the scores were set even. Aegisthus seduced Clytemnestra, the wife of his cousin, and gave her yet another excuse for the murder that she was about to carry out. Killing Agamemnon.

Another bit of history integral to the story is the heartless act of sacrifice that Agamemnon deemed appropriate. Upon starting the naval journey to Troy, the winds changed and the ships were unable to cross the seas. A soothsayer declared that Artemis must be appeased by the sacrifice of the virgin daughter of Agamemnon, named Iphigenia. Agamemnon, not wanting to risk his status among the other kings, consented and sent for his daughter. He deceived Clytemnestra by telling her that he is about to marry their daughter off to the hero Achilles, the girl was duly slaughtered by her father and the fleet set sail.

With this I conclude the introductory entry to the Analysis of the Female in the Orestia. I leave you with graphics made by yours truly to make things easier for the confused. Figure (1) explains the relationships between Sparta and Argos, while Figure (2) depicts the unended struggle for vengeance between Atreus and Thyestes.

For the benefit of all eyes reading this post, and for the spreading of knowledge about Body Art, this picture was posted from Elegant Elements. I should also add that I added six nice sparkling objects to the ears today, and the process was not painless. The problem with piercings is that you stop noticing them in the mirror after some time, and this is truly frustrating and could lead, as in my case, to additions to the metals. A positively rewarding journey, despite the pain and the inability to sleep on your sides.

The issue of exposure and audience is one of the most tackled in any given conversation about the expansive blogosphere. Aspiring blog authors, who are in fact writers, would certainly like to test the impact of their writings over readers. A writer who wishes to publish a book at some point of her life, would care to explore the merits of her writing via comments left by readers. That is but to cite one example of how a blog can be a helpful tool for individuals to assess their work.

A blog may serve to promote a product, rather than an abstract idea. Think of someone who wants to start a small business and yet does not have the means to obtain, nor the need for, a domain name. Free blogging services would provide the perfect outlet for this rookie business affair, and if done properly, it may attract the desired customer base the business owner wants to target.

For these reasons, and many more, exposure has become a strong tool in the hands of blog authors to reach out to the public. Imagine the sheer empowering a blog author, who receives thousands of hits a day, feels. The prospects of affecting the opinions and even the lives of the people who read the blog are enormous, and at this point exactly comes the tricky affair.

Is exposure a good thing?

Not in all cases.

If a blog author wants to deliver a message of some sort, or to promote a product or a line of thought, then she would probably be looking for the blessing of exposure. Reaching a larger number of people would help spread the idea. In this case, exposure is good.

Some may argue that perhaps the idea in question is “corrupt”, or “unworthy”, therefore it should not be divulged. But since there is no single authority to issue verdicts over what people think, and consequently what is pleasant and worthy is relative, very little can support this claim.

Exposure throws a tremendous amount of responsibility on the blogger. Channeling people’s thoughts in a certain way is never uncritical, and is rarely safe. Failing to understand and to feel the weight of what exposure brings with it is an error. A blog author ought to be cautious what she puts out for people to quote and to learn, and since all things written have a way of escaping oblivion, extra care ought to be taken to ensure one gets the message across wisely.

Useful links:

Metablog: Up close and business-like

Metablog: Blog fashion

Unveiling Metablog

Ask me not how I landed in dETROITfUNK, I am clueless. I have been searching for a quality blog about Detroit for quite some time now, and I am absolutely thrilled and honoured to announce that I found my lost paradise at dETROITfUNK.

Because I think highly of dETROITfUNK’s work, I decided to designate a speical entry to talk about it. The truth those pictures tell about what Detroit is all about is shocking, it is all too real. I suggest you take a look for yourself, and I guarantee that you will admire what you shall see.

dETROITfUNK was such a pleasant person to contact, and he supplied me with the following picture that symbolizes his work. I am grateful for his cooperation and I am all the more delighted that he decided to share his amazing work with the world. Thanks, dFUNK.

The split bewteen old and new in the City of Detroit. - dETROITfUNK.

In his own words, dETROITfUNK said that “Detroit is hosting SuperBowl 40 in a few weeks, and for the last few years they have trying to modernize the city at a hectic rate. This has led to the demolistion of dozens of buildings from the 1800’s and early 1900’s. Many of us know that you cant save every building, but it is alarming to see so much history bulldozed in such a short time, all in the name of corporate American football.

The building I am standing inside in the photo I sent you was a large foundry built in the late1800’s. The building I am looking at through the broken wall is currently General Motors WorldHeadquarters. The foundry is now demolished. General Motors and the other american car companys have destroyed our way of life in this region, and I personally resent their impact on my localeconomy. So that image ends up being a rather powerful allegory for what has happened here in myhome country of Michigan.”

It is most funny that when a girl wraps up her college years, she is expected by (almost) everyone, even those silent figures in the corner who do not articulate the questions, to get engaged. Allow me to be street for a while and say: man, that’s just wrong.

What pressure this generates, added to that fallen saint Valentine’s Day on February 14th, is truly will-breaking. And what’s scary about it is that most girls give in to it, they somehow feel “obliged” to tie the knot without fully understanding what they are about to commit themselves to.

The Jordanian society, for what layers I have known of it, pours such emphasis on getting engaged before, say, turning 25. After 25, a girl gets an overdose of those sugar-coated wishes of “Obalek” at every social gathering, engagement party, or wedding, that’s Jordanian for ” Wishing the same happens to you”, those wishes that actually mean: “Why is there no rock on that finger of yours, yet?”.

With this state of affairs, it is very natural to find impressive numbers of girls who got hooked for the wrong reasons, realised what errors they made, broke up, and are being judged by the rest of the saints. Wrong delivers wrong.

The role of parents is very crucial in shaping this dilemma. Some parents put their girls under such pressure to “find a man”, preferably one with a wholesome bank account, right after they graduate. Some girls get influenced with what their friends do or preach, taking this to a personal level, most of my own girl friends are all about this talk lately that I find it hard to be around them for long. It degrades me, I am not all about finding someone to fill some gap in my life just because Amman thinks so, much less because it is hype to have a boy tagging along everywhere I go.

Getting engaged is not the ultimate quest of a girl’s life, and it should not be pictured as such. It is a choice a girl should make when she is ready, not when society thinks she’s ripe and ready to be picked by that chevalier.

A girl should know her options. If she’s in a satisfying relationship with someone then all the better. If she is into her girl friends more than the knights, then so be it. If she does not accept or respect the institution of marriage, then all the sinister sounds should step back and bow to that.

Update: I present my apologies for the longish entry, and for the tone I used. Trust that I do not make light of this issue, and that I had not the slightest intention to talk as much about it. Plus I have just changed the date and time of the entry to suit this update.

For those who like to obtain hard copies of the entries posted in the Box, I am pleased to announce that a new “Printable Version” feature is enabled. All you need to do is click on “Links” right under the entry in question, or visit the permenant page of the post, and there you will have it in its own cute button: “Printable Version”.

This is what will happen: Clicking on the button will open a new window where you will find the post in its minimalist form, much like in Microsoft Word, a dialogue to operate your printer will also pop up. From this you determine how many copies you need, and what sort of paper you use, the works.

A simple visual demonstration of the process:

This is what you get: The post in its basic form, and the print properties dialogue box.

Go on, try it, I know you want to.

Eid Al Adha is in its fourth and final day today, Friday January 13th. It was a unique event that I personally enjoyed tremendously, although I have seen certain behaviors that are in extreme contrast with the Eid’s spirit and what it stands for.

To start with the sacrifices, large numbers of people seem to find it quite normal to slaughter the sheep in the streets. That is not healthy, let alone Islamic. I wonder they do not reflect on the great emphasis Islam puts on cleanliness and manners. It is hard to believe that anyone who sheds animal blood on the street, where people drive and sometimes walk, has decent manners or any understanding for what effects this would have on the image of Islam in the eyes of others.

I also abhorred the way some people throw the sheep in their car boots, not caring if the animal gets hurt or not. That is very cruel, I think one should treat animals with respect. Some may argue that the sheep are going to be sacrificed eventually, but this does not mean they should be hurt like that. There are certain rules to be followed to give the animal a decent death, and it should not suffer.

It should be noted that, regarding the sacrifice, shares of meat are given to the poor and the needy according to a set ratio. This is a beautiful religious law that is sadly corrupted by the misconduct of some people when they fail to carry it out properly, and certainly when they mistreat the sheep.

One of the most obvious aspects of Eid is visiting one’s kinsfolk and exchanging Eid greetings, as well as offering proper hospitality rites to relatives, friends and neighbours. This has developed, to some people, into a tedious social task that they worry about beforehand. In some cases it even prevents people from fully enjoying and appreciating the Eid, and I think this is due to the social falsehoods we are faced with in our daily lives. What is right does not seem right anymore.

I wish to share two pictures that I shot during the Eid. The first one is of the cinnamon drink cup, this drink is an integral part of any Eid at our place. My mother loves to make cinnamon drink, and it is rather popular with the extended family as well. One can sip this drink right out of the cup or, if one prefers, one may enjoy it bit by bit with a spoon. That’s how I do it, and I can say I never saw anyone else drinking it the way I do. This was my cup, topped with ground nuts.

This is a picture of “Mamoul”, the traditional Eid sweets. Everyone plays a role in making Mamoul, firstly because large quantities are needed, and secondly because it takes considerable work to make those little delights. The round Mamoul with the hole in the middle are stuffed with minced and spiced dates, and the Mamoul without the hole are stuffed with ground and spiced nuts. Obviously, soft sprinkles of ground regular sugar are added to give some color. Bear in mind that each and every Mamoul is decorated by hand using a small clip-like tool designed for this purpose, some people use ready-made moulds but we do it the original way.

This may come as a shock, but I was not born a blogger. While I have always been a net junkie, some times for the good part of what that means and at others for quite the opposite, I started self-publishing on January 13th, 2004. This makes it two years today, and in retrospect I am quite amazed at the changes that my blogging has undergone.

Moving from a basic, minimalist service at Blurty.com, where the “community” is largely different from the one I am exposed to presently,I shifted to Blogger and started publishing under a similar name. I do not say pseudonym, for multiple reasons, and I would appreciate it if you marked my diction because it is not empty.

My enlightenment came through a New York Times IT article by Emily Nussbaum made public on Sunday, January 11, 2004. At that time I was an avid reader of the e-paper, checking it daily and gladly checking my mouth after a good read. I was so flooded with sentiments of sheer delight and an adrenaline rush swept through my frame that I just had to try this “thing” out. I made the technological leap and I can positively announce that it has proven to be more significant than were my initial expectations for it.

Since I know many curious eyes are digging for information about the much-cited ex-blog, I believe it is only fair to disclose some bits of data about it: it was very introspective, very basic, and very unread. I was technically my only reader and, surprise of all surprises, I was the subject matter. Nothing too fancy, this was a place where I poured out what chaos or order I had in my head, when I felt like it.

The decision to move my blogging activities corresponded with a decision to enforce change, or to accept it, in many aspects of life. Better understanding for what I was looking for helped me make the call, and the style of writing and the scope of topics handled changed accordingly. I faced no problems moving from Blurty to Blogger, and the fact that I had one reader greatly facilitated the step.

To truly celebrate my second blogday, my friend Mahdy designed this beautiful template for me as a gift. I thank him for his generosity and kindness. As you may have noticed, this new design brings a total transformation from the previous soothing earth tones to the bold reds and yellows. It may take you some time getting used to it, but I have no doubts that it will grow on you, much like I did.

I am tempted to reveal some of the cool new features in the Box. Try hovering over the links present in the sidebar, for instance, and see the amazing color changes. Also look for the home icon on top of the header, this would take you directly to the front page of the blog. And my favorite feature of all times: the way the sidebar is neatly tucked in its titles, this would help me add more links to my list. I did not wish to do that before because I do not like crammed, confusing sidebars. Now I can do that without feeling bad for confusing my readers.

Bringing this potentially epic-like entry to an end, I say that I am pleased with what I have done so far through my blogs. I am tremendously flattered that there are people out there who dedicate minutes of their days to read my mind, and I earnestly hope I manage to provide material worthy of their time.