Thesis on "Isolation There Are Two Different Levels"

Thesis 6 pages (1671 words) Sources: 4 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Isolation

There are two different levels of the Philoctetes play and its parallelism with Cuba, as these two relate to isolation. First, one needs to discuss the causes and events leading to isolation, as they appear in both the play and the historical reality. Second, one will need to see what can bring an escape from isolation, as well as the effects of isolation itself.

The cause of the isolation is not described in the play directly, as the play takes place after the isolation process has been started. From the Greek mythology, though, one knows that Philoctetes was isolated on the island because on his way to fight in the Trojan War, he gets bit in the foot by a snake. His wound produces great pain and a bad smell, for which his companions decide to abandon him on an island.

There are several causes for the isolation that can be drawn from this background story. First of all, Philoctetes is no longer of use to his companions because he can no longer fight as efficiently now that his is wounded. Second, he is now different from the rest of them, being wounded. Third, his wound could have an impact on the others, could lead to diseases that could spread among the rest of the participants to the expedition. Finally, fourth, Philoctetes has been 'corrupted' through the bite: he is no longer the same as when they set off.

The parallelism with Cuba is extremely interesting, because Cuba's isolation was partly caused and motivated by similar elements as in Philoctetes's case. The main cause of Cuba's isolation on the international stage was the fact that Fidel Castro assumed power by force and inaugurated a Communist regime that lasts to this day. While before 1989, when many of the former Communist allies in Eastern and Central Europe changed their political regimes to embrace democracy and a market economy, Cuba could count on friends in the international arena and one could not speak of its isolation, today there are not many like Cuba in the world.

Similarly to Philoctetes, who was the only one bit by the snake and who was thus isolated from the group because he was now different, the international community has isolated Cuba at this point because there are not many countries left with similar beliefs and similar political systems like Cuba has. Except for North Korea and China, both who still have extensive contacts with Cuba (in North Korea's case, most likely, because of its own isolation), and some countries in Latin America, Cuba has been isolated in its contacts.

Its isolation has also come from something that has been mentioned when referring to Philoctetes as well. As shown, Philoctetes was also abandoned because the nature of his wound was uncertain and because there could have been a fear within his colleagues about the disease spreading to the other healthy people.

In Cuba's case, ever since the proclamation of Communism as the official political and economic system of the country, the U.S. And the international non-communist community have constantly feared that Communism from Cuba might spread to other Latin American countries or other countries in general. Cuba's tendency to export its Communist ideas during the period of the Cold War made it necessary, in the eyes of the U.S., to isolate it as much as possible on the international front.

There is also an interesting difference between the two situations in terms of the causes of isolation. In Philoctetes's case, he is innocent and not a direct cause of his isolation. In Cuba's case, although the Cuban population cannot be accused it has necessarily supported the Communist regime, the isolation was partially caused by the population's reticence to act against the regime that had brought about isolation and do something to change things.

The effects of isolation can, first of all, be translated into economic terms, in both the play and the historical facts. These effects are translated in numerous occasions in the play. There is mention that he lacks grain and wine, he is not able to obtain any of these from the outside world and is forced into an autarchic type of existence in which he has to use only what the island of Lemnos offers him.

With Cuba, it is a similar case. Its isolation on the international arena has meant that, after the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, many of its former trading partners had changed both their economic system and their trading preferences, opting now for Western countries.

Cuba was left with few trading partners and its imposed isolation meant that it had to do good with its own resources, most notably sugar cane or similar food resources. It also meant that it lacked other significant ones, such as consumer goods that Western economies could provide. The lack of grain and wine from Sophocles's play can be translated into a lack of consumer goods in Cuba's case.

The most obvious and important effect of isolation in both the play and Cuba's case is the fact that this isolation leads to extreme loneliness. The human individual is, by nature, a social animal who seeks the companion of other humans. In Philoctetes's case, this is even worse, because he has not decided on his own to leave his companions, he was rather pushed towards this. In Cuba's case, the effect of this isolation is also a profound loneliness in the international area.

If we compare, for example, Cuba with some of the former Communist countries in Eastern and Central Europe, we really understand the size of this loneliness: these are countries that have successfully integrated in the European Union and in NATO, who are part of regional and international organizations, whose voice is often heard and taken into consideration by other members of the international community and who are active in the decision making process at a global level.

In Cuba's case, except sporadic meetings with representatives from friendly countries such as China or leaders whose fascination with Fidel Castro has never stopped, nobody talks to Cuba's leaders, nobody takes them into consideration: Cuba is extremely lonely in the international community because of its isolation.

There is also another effect of isolation that can be discussed in both cases: the lack of "worldliness," that is, the capacity to be cunning and to interrelate with other entities or individuals. In Philoctetes case, his isolation make shim less able to reconnect with his companions, not to mention the fact that he does not have the privilege of learning the ways of the world. Additionally, he also seems to be stuck in an undetermined time period, from which he cannot move forward although there are changes going on around him. He is also not adaptable to those changes, unable to reach a common denominator with these.

This is similar in Cuba's case. The times have changed radically since the period when Fidel Castro was assuming power in 1959-1960. The Communist system around the world has all but collapsed and Cuba could benefit from the positive effects of globalization and the mass informational revolution. Its isolation, however, does not allow it to participate in these changes, to be integrated in the global 'worldliness' and benefit from these.

An interesting discussion should refer now to coming out of the isolation, as it happened in Philoctetes and may potentially happen in Cuba's case. In Philoctetes, the coming out of isolation would be beneficial for the isolators, because Philoctetes would be a useful and efficient asset in the war with the Trojans. The Greeks use all possible means to convince Philoctetes to come out his isolation and join their common quest aimed at defeating the Trojans. Divine intervention in the form of Heracles finally encourages… READ MORE

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