In discussing King Lear, Dr. Mitchell made a comment about tragedy that really stuck out to me. He said that tragedies are about the core of identity. For example, "I am agony." While he was referring to literature, I also think it can be applied to people as well. Think about it. When tragedy comes in a person's life, it impacts it in some form or another. The extent of the influence depends on the severity of the tragedy. Feelings and emotions are out of control. For many, the accident begins to define them. They start to associate themselves with the tragedy and vice versa. While this is relatively normal, it can also be dangerous. It is human to want to feel pain and grieve when tragedy comes but a person can not let emotions take hold of his or her whole life. If someone experiences a death and then begins to associate himself with death, then his actions will reflect his distorted mindset. It is important to effectively deal with tragedy without embodying it.