One of the best know antique piece of writing is Odyssey by Homer. It is a story about a hero, Odysseus, who fights in Troy. When he is coming back home he blinds Poseidon’s son what causes many problems in his life and expend his journey. The god of oceans gets very angry and tries to do everything to make Odysseus way to be very difficult and as long as possible. During the journey Odysseus has to make many difficult decisions such as how to protect himself and his people. Once he faces extremely complicated situation. He has to decide if he wants to pick a way where Scylla, monster living in the rocks, will kill six of his people or if he picks another way and everybody in the cruse will die because of other monster Charybdis.
“Charybdis gulps the dark water down. Three times a day she vomits it up, three times she gulps it down, that terror! Don’t be there when the whirlpool swallows down-not even the earthquake god could save you from disaster. No, hug Scylla’s crag-sail on past her-top speed! Better by far to lose six men and keep your ship than lose your entire crew.” (A 402)
Finally, Odysseus scarifies six of his friends and leads his cruse to meet Scylla. Few of his people die however most of them survive. The idiom “between Scylla and Charybdis” is used in modern world to describe the situation where avoidance of one danger exposes one to another danger or making any possible choices lead to seriously consequences.
The New York Times article “No Clear Path for China After Nobel Choice” by Didi Kirsten Tatlow is about Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo who won Nobel Prize. He is one of the revolutionists who fight for human rights in communistic China. Because of his action against the government he went to jail for 11 years (and he is still in jail now). The commission which decides who is allegeable for Nobel Prize had to face very difficult problem. Liu Xiaobo is called as criminal by Chinese communists; however, in other countries he is seeing as super hero who fights for human rights. Many people believe that if he lives in China he has to be following Chinese law. They argue “[e]ach country has its own laws, its own rules and its own profit, no matter what. For a person who is a criminal under Chinese law to win the Nobel Peace Prize, well, that’s ironic.” Others claim that no matter what the law says the human rights are basic rights and can’t be omitted. They response that “everyone knows there are problems in China related to lack of human rights and democracy” and use this metaphor: “even if you know your mother is ugly, you’re still unhappy when you hear others saying it. What you want to do is to protect and change her, not listen to others criticize her” to describe the situation in China. In addition, China is one of the biggest countries which trades oversee. Taking any action against the government can cause disagreement and loses in global market. That’s why Noble Prize commission was between Scylla and Charibdys. They could give a Nobel Prize to Liu and break up good relationship with China or against their believes give it to one of the other candidates and keep good relationship with that country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/15/world/asia/15iht-letter.html?ref=liu_xiaobo
