NCHS AP English Language

The Sphynx by tyler smith and jeff annis

Sphynx comes from the Greek work Sphinx, which means "to Strangle or hold." In Greek Mythology The Sphynx took the city of Thebes captive, eating the towns-people and terrorizing the city. The Sphynx did this until Oedipus completed the riddle which was given at hand. The Sphynx was believed to have the body of a lion, the head of a beautiful woman, the wings of an eagle, and the tail of a serpent. This creature was also very large, preventing anyone from entering or leaving the city of Thebes, until that riddle was answered. The sphynx represents the whale in that Ahab cannot deal with the rest of his life until he himself deals with Moby Dick. When they kill a dead whale he talks to the whale asking it what kinds of things it had seen. This further proves his insanity because he is talking to a dead whale.

posted by NCHS AP English Language III @ 2:17 PM