The New Testiment and the Koran
As I sat in bed reading the passages from the Koran, the first thing that struck me was how similar some of the lines were to the Bible. In the Bible it is said God loves a cheerful giver. In addition you are to present 10% of your earnings to the Lord as a tithe. The Koran also mentions being charitable towards God, but in a different way. For followers of Islam, the rules seem a bit more strict and defined. The Bible lays out what God expects from His people, but unlike the Koran, He seems to have more mercy for the shortcomings of His children. That is another point I found interesting.
Daniela brought up in class that while the Koran has multiple names for God, Father is not one of them. As a Christian, I find peace in the glory of a loving Father and Savior. To think of Him any differently puzzles me. While Christians keep a fear of God in their heart, the Koran gives me the impression that Muslims live in fear of God’s wrath every day. If one prayer is not said or if they fail to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, will they be cast to the left rather than the right on judgment day?
Another point I found interesting is the concept of a final day of judgment and what will happen to each soul on Earth. In church the preacher frequently speaks of the Rapture, and how each day it draws nearer than the last. We cannot be certain what will happen when that day comes, but the Koran’s interpretation differed from that of the Bible. According to the Bible, when the day comes a trumpet will sound and those who have pledged salvation before the Father will ascend to Heaven, while those who denied Him or remain lost will be cast into a Lake of Fire. Hearing the Koran refer to elevated couches covered in jewels and a lake of scorching water was definitely a bit of an eye opener. I honestly had to do a double take and read that section over again. It is quite interesting to study the holy scriptures of different regions and pick out their similarities and differences. I bet it would be even more interesting to get all these religions in one room and listen to the mixed responses to various questions.
Response to Daniela's Paper
I really liked the topic for this paper. Often I feel women are overlooked and underappreciated in history. One of my favorite parts of scripture is The Virtuous Woman, so I was pretty excited to read about Hebrew women. The role of mothers and wives is something I found extremely interesting in this paper and it definitely proves the importance and strength of women. I feel the story of Moses works really well and ties in nicely with the mention of the Ten Commandments. I like the ideas you have for this paper, but I think the transitions from each idea could be a little smoother.
Ideas for revision:
Work on transitions from one idea to the next.
Perhaps some more research? Critical Essay
Journal 13: Art Visit
Today I visited the art museum for the very first time in my life and I can honestly say I am impressed. You get the feeling from the outside that it is an important place, but I guess being in other buildings around campus caused me to assume what the inside would look like. I've been in art museums before and I think it's safe to say the inside of the art museum does indeed look like an art museum. But I want to focus more on what was displayed. The front courtroom is very big and welcoming. At the entrance you are greeted by two, playful looking water sculptures. Past these, U.S. history is represented by sculptures of Lincoln and a minute man. My favorite pieces were in the middle of the courtroom. at the very center is a long, chandelier-like piece made entirely of plastic water bottle pieces. I didn't even notice this fact until my friend pointed it out. As if it wasn't cool enough, the piece had an ocean theme with with plastic jellyfish floating among bottle caps. It's just really cool and so much prettier than what I would have expected water bottles to be. Flanking the sea scene are two winged figures. Their dark color and feel contrast against the light, carefree mood created at the center.
As I moved through the rest of the museum, I noticed how every room was lit a certain way and kept at a different temperature. You don't usually think about it much, but the atmosphere of the room really does affect how you view the art inside. The walls of room displaying the medieval art were a shade of red that, when combined with the dim lighting, created an environment that made the art stand out. I thought it was really neat that most of the art displayed had some connection to what we have been reading in class. At one point I felt I couldn't turn around without seeing Buddha. I'm really not artistic, nor do I understand the meaning behind what a lot of artwork is trying to convey, but I did enjoy the experience. I hope to go back sometime when I have hours to spend examining everything. Journal 12: To Love or Not to Love and other ideas formed in class 11/9
During the discussion in class today an idea for my essay finally hit me. We have read several texts this semester and in nearly every one of them, love plays a key role. So I said to myself, "Becca why not analyze the concept of love in each story and how it affects the characters?" I think it would be really cool, ya know? Play on the fate of each set of lovers, include other well known lovers and their happy (or not so happy) endings, and then relate it to the hundreds of sappy love movies screenwriters come up with today. Perhaps throw some Nicholas Sparks references in there as well. I don't know, it's a work in progress.
So what can I say on this week's discussion without exhausting ideas for my paper? To begin with, I thought it was interesting how we had to argue opposite sides of the statements about Dido's love and Anieus's actions. sometimes we can be so narrow minded and only see a story or situation in one light. It's a lot like pro/con papers in high school where we were assigned a topic and told which side we were to support. Some times you got the side lining up with your own beliefs, but most of the time you ended up with the one you were against. I feel exercises like these are really helpful and force us to consider all avenues and ideas. (Which is especially good when dealing with other people.) I can see why people might say Dido is merely a victim of the gods. She didn’t ask to fall in love again. In fact, she vowed she would never do so. The fact Aneius’s mother is Venus doesn’t help much either. However, I do feel she may have taken things a bit far. Rather than acting the way she did, Dido should have realized they both had jobs to do, and it just wouldn’t work between them. But then again, she was under the gods’ influence...
Journal 11: I Can't Think of a Witty Title 11/5
I'll be honest and start off saying I have no clue what to write about in this journal. I'm beginning to notice a trend with all of my journal entries. I always seem to write from an observation view point, so I guess that's where I will start. Some how the book, The Tao of Pooh, skipped me, but I thought the concept of it was really cool. Winnie the Pooh was the bomb in my younger years, but as I've grown older I am more aware of how often it is used to illustrate real life. In my sociology class, we spent a fair amount of time talking about how the characters of Winnie the Pooh displayed certain psychological disorders. Eeore has depression. Pooh Bear is OCD and a compulsive eater. Christopher Robbin is a schizophrenic. Piglet has anxiety disorder. And then of course Tigger is ADHD. So naturally, I was impressed by the connection between Pooh and Taoism.
Well, if Pooh is a Daoist, that would be the opposite of OCD. :> [MH]
I think if I lived in China and had to follow Confuscianism or Taoism, I'd probably choose Confuscius. First of all, the Tao writings were a lot more confusing. Second, I don't know much I could just "go with the flow." I like structure and written out guidelines. It just makes things easier. If you've ever been in a supermarket without a list or came out with more than you planned on buying, then you'll understand why I like lists and guidelines so much. Just rolling with the punches doesn't cut it sometimes. Journal 10: The Good Life 10/29
I feel like this week's presentations were very thought provoking. I really liked how the first group presented what the "good life" consists of, while the second gorup talked more on how to obtain a good life. I think it is safe to say classification of "the good life" is subjective and cannot be pinned down. Even after two days of discussion, I felt we weren't any closer to determining a correct answer.
There were a few really good points brought up in discussion on how to label a life as good or bad; one of which closely matched what I was thinking the entire time. Struggles and hardships are things that make lives unique and people stronger. Life isn't consistant day to day. It is messy and more of a roller coaster ride than a merry-go-round. In my opinion, to have a life that means something in the end, there are going to be a few ups and downs. The people who have an easy life rarely get to experience such events. Instead, they merely ride life as if they were on a merry-go-round. I'm not saying people with easier lives don't have their own highs and downfalls. Recall the structure of the ride. It consists of stationary animals and seats, along with some horses that "gallop" around. Those who play it safe normally sit on the stationary objects, leaving others to test the gallopping horses. Add some cheerful music and rotate the platform around, vola, you have a merry-go-round. Sure it's a fun, relaxing ride, but you don't go anywhere or see anything more by spinning in circles.
Now let's focus on those who take more chances and hop on the roller coaster of life. From the outside looking in, you think, "Wow that's awesome! I've got to try it!" So you stand in line and you wait your turn. If you are really bold then you sit in the very front car, but if you are just inching your way off the merry-go-round, you'll probably choose a seat in the middle. Those at the back are just along for the ride. As you fasten your seatbelt, the fact of what you are about to do sets in and your feel a little nervous. But as the countdown hits zero, you realize there is no turning back and suddenly you are shot out of the station. If you have ever rode a roller coaster, you'll know how rough of a ride it can be at times. Your head bangs against the bars, your teeth clash together, and sometimes you are thrown so hard you feel as if you might fly out of your seat. But you hold on with all you've got and take each steep hill and drop as they come. Just like in life, sometimes you are thrown for an unexpected loop or feel a flash of fear through your body. We can never truly know what life has in store for us. Instead, we must take it as it comes and make due with what we are given. Just like every ride in the amusement park, a lot of the time in life you can determine which "ride" you will board. Each trial you face, adventure you go on, risk you take, enhances your knowledge. You learn what things work and what you should probably not do again. It is the exact same as riding roller coasters. You can't always avoid bumpy courses, twists, turns, or loops, but at least you know what to do when you are faced with them again.
Now if we go back to the concept of life being one HUGE, continuous roller coaster, I can finally explain where I am going with this. A lot of the time when I get on a new thrill ride I am a bit apprehensive. I worry about the safety factors and whether I need to prepare myself for major drops. And I will admit, at times I feel so scared that I want to beg them to let me off before the ride begins. But dispite all of those jaw jarrig tracks, risky drops, corkscrews, and repeative loops, I would go back and do it all over again. This really reminds me of what Jennette Walls talked about in The Glass Castle. Life wasn't easy for her and her family. A lot of the time they spent more time falling rather than climbing, but in the end she wouldn't trade her experiences for anything more. Sure she may adjust some things a bit, but Jennette learned lessons that no one else can learn the same way.
So to conclude this extremely long entry, we may not know what the good life is or how to do things that would give you a good life, but I firmly believe it is the struggles and challenges life presents that make it worth living.
Midterm Review 10/21
Honors 201, Inquires of the Ancient World. To be honest, when I first saw the name of this course I was perplexed. I knew most of the honors courses were discussion based, so I assumed we’d basically just sit around and talk about people of ancient times. And then I saw the book we were required to have. =S Turns out Inquires of the Ancient World wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. I’m not really big on interpreting what Homer, Plato, Socrates, or any of the other poets/writers of the past were trying to convey. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not really the type to jump in on these kinds of conversations. However, I don’t merely sit back and think about things that don’t pertain to the class. I really do make an effort to decipher what is written and what others think. As I look back at the course goals, I find it a bit easier to interpret what we are supposed to getting out of this class. Now that I have a base to compare to, I understand the purpose of this class is to observe how our world and society have changed, yet remained the same in some ways. I feel like as a whole the class does a good job of keeping conversation going and I really enjoy the different avenues people take. As for myself, I feel like I need a bit more direction for when I’m reading. When questions to think about have been posted on the wiki, I find myself delving deeper into the story. It challenges me to think a bit more and come up with my own questions.
Something I really like about this class is that the instructor brings himself down to our level. Rather than guiding our thoughts a certain direction, Dr. Hartman participates in the discussion and provides ideas for us to consider or raises questions we may not have thought of. In addition, it is almost as if the class helps him learn or approach things as well. The group presentations are another thing I have found interesting. They do a pretty good job of relating concepts we have been reading in class to how society has functioned through time. Overall, this class has opened my eyes a bit more on just how much society and cultural beliefs shape everyday life. From polytheism and monarchy all the way through to a country ruled through democracy by one God, society as adapted every step of the way.
Journal 8: Antigone and Rulers 10/14
I sense a common theme with everything we have read so far in class. There seems to always be some kind of leader who dominates the entire story. However the story of Antigone... not so much. I read the play once before and even saw it performed in high school, yet I am still confused as to who is the leader or model character. As we discussed in class, King Creon had to show the citizens that traitors would not be tolerated, nor would they be given any honor at all. But was it completely necessary to deny the family the ability to bury their own? He could have at least given the family the option and allowed them the chance to disgrace their name further by burying a traitor. However, you have to think about how much the family had already been through. First the father and the mother kill themselves and then the two brothers kill each other. Poor Antigone and Ismene! Or should she I say, poor Ismene? Antigone sets out to bury their brother, clearly knowing she will have to die in the end. BUT SHE DIDN'T HAVE TO DIE! Antigone, who looked death straight in the face and who had all of this strength and will power, kills herself. What kind of role model is that?! But I guess karma catches up with Creon eventually... after all his son killed himself at Antigone's feet and then his wife was too sad over the son's death to live any longer. So, yeah... Antigone is a cozy little story...
Leaving Antigone behind, I will now focus on my take of this week's presentation. First of all, I give props to the crowns the girls wore. Someone was clever indeed! I halfway considered dressing up as a superhero for my presentation, but Elizabeth and Wesley didn't act like it was a good idea. Deviations aside, I really enjoyed the presentation. The entire thing flowed nicely and the questions at the end were thought provoking, along with relatable to past and present times. Terms like "leader" and "ruler" have evolved from one time person to another to fit current society. Today they are what people make them. I hold to my claims in class today. I feel the best leaders are those who are servents first and those who are willing to go back and provide service. You can't deliver valid authority to a group of people if you aren't creditable. By being in lower positions and rising to higher status, I feel a leader proves the ability they have. He can relate to his followers because he can personally say he has been in their same situation before. Because of this he is able to offer motivation and advice on how to succeed and work toward bigger goals. Maybe EIL is getting to me, but I believe anyone can be a leader if they are willing to serve first.
Journal 7: Heroes and Adventure 10/08
I honestly feel that where you live and what society is like during your time has a major influence on how words are defined. In fact, I'm pretty sure the existance of the Oxford Dictionary supports my thoughts. Just as technology advances through time, so do thoughts and perceptions. While revisions and discoveries are , but I sometimes question whether some changes take value from the original context. Especially today I find that nothing is as concrete as I once thought. This past spring I took a sociology class through Ivy Teach. The instructor, Ross, challenged every single thought I used to have. It literally felt like at the beginning of class Ross would take every student's brain and put it in a blender. Through out class he'd say something that would confuse everyone or make us question what we thought we had already understood. At the end of class we'd walk out with smoothies for brains. Some times we questioned our own existance. Society plays such a heavy role in every single thought in our brains and it is slightly irritating. Our generation takes pride in our ability to speak and think freely, but when you think about it, our thoughts aren't all that independent. Ultimately, society has shaped every single notion in the human mind. We remain slaves in our "free" world! But now I should probably tie this back to my original thought for this journal...
While preparing our project and then during discussion I noticed how broad most terms are. Words like hero or leader can be defined hundreds of different ways and still be considered correct. So I wonder, in the future will words begin to lose all original meaning and value? Will humans one day live in a world where a central idea or common answer can no longer be found? And how can we ever decide on mutual understanding if every question asked is always answered with another question?
Journal 6: Job, Psalms, and Song of Songs 09/30
The first sunday school lesson I can remember ever actively listening and participating in was over the story of Job. I remember coming back home and telling my mom what I had just been introduced to in the Bible. How could someone face all of these situations and still keep his faith? What makes it even more incredible is that Job begins to blame and curse himself. After everything he has lost, Job wishes he was never allowed to live. He doesn't feel like God has betrayed him. Instead he feels unworthy. The Bible says God loves those who are submissive to His will. Job exceeds any actions I could see other Christians taking.
A bad day to me is waking up to realize you were supposed to be a class 15 minutes ago, forgetting your umbrella in the rush, and then spilling your Starbucks in your lap in front of others. But all of this is NOTHING compared to what Job went through. My bad day just looks like slight blimish when put against the boils of Job. Any time I feel like I'm having a bad day, I'll just remember Job and then I'll feel much better.
"The Lord is my shepard; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he lendeth me beside the still waters...." (Ps. 23) From Job we now move on to the book of Psalms where the mood has CHANGED COMPLETELY, yet in a way the messages are the same. Once again we are reminded of the submissive nature God's followers display toward Him.
Journal 5: Creation Myths and Class Discussion 09/23
Isn't it just like humans to always try to explain everything in the world?! From one civilization to the next, there seems to always be an explaination for how the world and all its inhabitants came to exist. And even today there are multiple suggestions for how everything was created. I think it is interesting how the Orphic religion in ancient Greece believed everything came from a silver egg floating in space. It almost sounds like the Big Bang Theory science provides for the creation of the universe. But what I really want to focus on in this journal is a topic that came up in our Friday discussion: monotheism vs. polytheism. As was brought up in class, all of the monotheistic epics seems to have a common theme of creation from chaos, while Genisis is more orderly. We have talked on and on about how the gods in The Odyssey and Gilgamesh are more like everyday people with great amounts of power, while the God of Genisis is apart from all mankind. Right before class ended an idea formed in my mind that I really would have liked to put out for consideration. In Genesis, God created everything and throughout the Bible He continues to play a significant role in the lives of his followers. By comparing the many gods to Christianity's one God I realized that while the gods could influence people, they rarely did much work at all. The God of Christianity is more compassionate and willing to help his creations than the gods of Olympus. It just seems that whenever there is a conflict in the mortal world or an issue that must solved, the gods just sit on Mt. Olympus and place bets on who will win. Perhaps it is because the Earth and its inhabitants were all God's creation, whereas the greek gods seemed to just be there for supervision. As I pondered upon this a question formed in my mind; Is it better for man to be given all of the tools to complete a task or should he be made to struggle alone? Yes there are times in the Bible when God asks actions of specific people, but He is always there to lend a hand. Does this make His followers weaker than followers of the greek gods? Might there have been less conflict in greek epics if the gods were more like God? Journal 4: The Odyssey 09/17 (Becca, it's not a completely modern setting, but I think the movie Cold Mountain gives one answer to your question. Also Ulysses by James Joyce. MH)
I think sometimes it is good to just sit and observe class discussions because it fuels thoughts within your own mind. As I sat and listened to how some things were explained or joked around with by Adriana it got me thinking; what would The Odyssey be in modern times? Sure movies have been created from this story, but what would a modern day Odysseus look like? Could he be replaced by one of the many men who have been serving the U.S. in the past years? As I mentioned before, the recent war in Iraq has kept families apart for long periods of time. Though these men have not necessarily faced the same type of situations, they have had trials of their own. Just like Odysseus, some soldiers found themselves with home within their reach just to have their journeys extended. There is no denying the strength of a hero. It takes a lot to keep going when all you want to do is throw in the towel, but it is a battle fought well by Odysseus and soldiers of today.
But maybe Odysseus isn't one of our courageous soldiers... Perhaps instead of being part of our nation's security blanket, our modern day Odysseus is a traveling salesman. Truthfully I feel this might be able to parallel a lot better when it comes to the original journeys and temptations. Imagine Odysseus with his suitcase full of swiss army knives or what have you, and he's knocking door to door in another state. What's to say he won't encounter a bit of eye candy during his travels? Without his wife around the traveling salesman gets mighty lonely and falls prey to the spells of a potential customer. Just when he is about to leave, the salesman's keys turn up missing and BAM! he's stuck! Or maybe the salesman wanders upon a singing woman whose voice is unlike anything he has ever heard. It's possible he could also take food from a group of nice looking people just to find out later it was tainted and he's been "out of this world" for a good part of the day.
Maybe if we just changed up the dialect a bit it would make things more modern...The possibilites are endless!
Journal 3: The Odyssey 09/11
When I look at The Odyssey in comparison to other stories I've read for English classes, I find it interesting how Homer portrays the female figures. I feel that the pieces we were required to read in high school all centered highly around feminist opinions. The women were always facing some kind of struggle against men or were written to be the weaker character. For these reasons, I found it odd to see such strong female characters in The Odyssey. Homer depicts women as strong, cunning individuals; something that is rare in most pieces of literature. If you look at all of the trials Odysseus must overcome, you will notice that the majority of them involve women in some way. Kalypso knew what she was doing when she took Odysseus in and kept him on her island all of those years and Penelope was able to buy time for a while by continuously unweaving the sheath at night. In addition, through the story Athena plays a heavy impact on the lives of both Odysseus and his son, Telemachus. She disguises herself many times to aid Telemachus in discovering the whereabouts of his missing father while also presenting to the other gods a fair fight for Odysseus' safe return.
Obviously Homer understood the true strength of women, so can not help to wonder what changed over the years that followed. When did women lose the value and respect they deserve? At what point did women become so weak and fragile? The stories that are studied today involve damsels in distress, stay at home mothers and wives who never spoke out against their husbands. In The Odyssey men and women are on equal ground, but every so often the women are able to out think the men. I have a lot of respect for a man who was blind, yet still could see the strength of a woman.
Journal 2: The Odyssey 09/03
As I mentioned in the last journal, I was first exposed to the Odyssey my freshman year of high school. However, instead of reading the beginning we skipped ahead a few books to find the epic hero with Calypso. What a great first impression of our hero! But in the 9th grade I didn't really seem to pay much attention to this fact. It was hard enough to keep the gods and goddesses straight, let alone worry about the adulterous behavior of Odysseus. Coming back to the story for this class has shown me just how important the first four books are. Books one through four give us a look at how life has gone on in Ithaca while Odysseus has been at sea.
For around ten years now the United States has been in a war that has kept loved ones apart. When Odysseus left for the Trojan War he wasn't just leaving his beautiful homeland of Ithaca; he was also leaving his wife and a very young son, Telemachus. When we enter the story of The Odyssey Telemachus, now an adult, knows nothing of his father. As was brought up in discussion, I feel these first few books illustrate Telemachus’ coming of age. Twenty years after Odysseus sets off, Telemachus begins his own journey in hopes of learning about his father and his whereabouts.
It especially affected me when in book four Telemachus is seen lamenting the father he has never met. In that same book, there is a scene in which Helen, Menelaus, and the son of Nestor are all found weeping over words Menelaus had previously said concerning Odysseus. The display of such emotion, especially by the males, is astonishing. It is a genuine love for each other. Menelaus loved Odysseus like a friend. I can only hope for friendships like that.
Journal 1: Gilgamesh and Class Discussion 08/26
Freshman year was the year we all studied mythology at New Castle High School. In the midst of studying The Odyessy the story of Gilgamesh was brought up, but I had never read the story until this class. I watched the video beforehand and after 30 minutes of viewing the entire program, I must say that I was excited to get down to reading this story. In all honesty I think the video gave the story more excitement and action than what was really there. The fact that the story was originally hearsay and then was translated off of clay tablets makes me question how much of the story we are actually getting. What details could be missing and is it possible there might be more evidence to support ancient texts like the Bible? I saw connections to biblical text through out the story, but as I listened to the other individual comments I realized there were a lot more to be found. All in all I enjoyed reading this story and look forward to reading and comparing other works.
As I sat in bed reading the passages from the Koran, the first thing that struck me was how similar some of the lines were to the Bible. In the Bible it is said God loves a cheerful giver. In addition you are to present 10% of your earnings to the Lord as a tithe. The Koran also mentions being charitable towards God, but in a different way. For followers of Islam, the rules seem a bit more strict and defined. The Bible lays out what God expects from His people, but unlike the Koran, He seems to have more mercy for the shortcomings of His children. That is another point I found interesting.
Daniela brought up in class that while the Koran has multiple names for God, Father is not one of them. As a Christian, I find peace in the glory of a loving Father and Savior. To think of Him any differently puzzles me. While Christians keep a fear of God in their heart, the Koran gives me the impression that Muslims live in fear of God’s wrath every day. If one prayer is not said or if they fail to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, will they be cast to the left rather than the right on judgment day?
Another point I found interesting is the concept of a final day of judgment and what will happen to each soul on Earth. In church the preacher frequently speaks of the Rapture, and how each day it draws nearer than the last. We cannot be certain what will happen when that day comes, but the Koran’s interpretation differed from that of the Bible. According to the Bible, when the day comes a trumpet will sound and those who have pledged salvation before the Father will ascend to Heaven, while those who denied Him or remain lost will be cast into a Lake of Fire. Hearing the Koran refer to elevated couches covered in jewels and a lake of scorching water was definitely a bit of an eye opener. I honestly had to do a double take and read that section over again. It is quite interesting to study the holy scriptures of different regions and pick out their similarities and differences. I bet it would be even more interesting to get all these religions in one room and listen to the mixed responses to various questions.
Response to Daniela's Paper
I really liked the topic for this paper. Often I feel women are overlooked and underappreciated in history. One of my favorite parts of scripture is The Virtuous Woman, so I was pretty excited to read about Hebrew women. The role of mothers and wives is something I found extremely interesting in this paper and it definitely proves the importance and strength of women. I feel the story of Moses works really well and ties in nicely with the mention of the Ten Commandments. I like the ideas you have for this paper, but I think the transitions from each idea could be a little smoother.
Ideas for revision:
Work on transitions from one idea to the next.
Perhaps some more research?
Critical Essay
Journal 13: Art Visit
Today I visited the art museum for the very first time in my life and I can honestly say I am impressed. You get the feeling from the outside that it is an important place, but I guess being in other buildings around campus caused me to assume what the inside would look like. I've been in art museums before and I think it's safe to say the inside of the art museum does indeed look like an art museum. But I want to focus more on what was displayed. The front courtroom is very big and welcoming. At the entrance you are greeted by two, playful looking water sculptures. Past these, U.S. history is represented by sculptures of Lincoln and a minute man. My favorite pieces were in the middle of the courtroom. at the very center is a long, chandelier-like piece made entirely of plastic water bottle pieces. I didn't even notice this fact until my friend pointed it out. As if it wasn't cool enough, the piece had an ocean theme with with plastic jellyfish floating among bottle caps. It's just really cool and so much prettier than what I would have expected water bottles to be. Flanking the sea scene are two winged figures. Their dark color and feel contrast against the light, carefree mood created at the center.
As I moved through the rest of the museum, I noticed how every room was lit a certain way and kept at a different temperature. You don't usually think about it much, but the atmosphere of the room really does affect how you view the art inside. The walls of room displaying the medieval art were a shade of red that, when combined with the dim lighting, created an environment that made the art stand out. I thought it was really neat that most of the art displayed had some connection to what we have been reading in class. At one point I felt I couldn't turn around without seeing Buddha. I'm really not artistic, nor do I understand the meaning behind what a lot of artwork is trying to convey, but I did enjoy the experience. I hope to go back sometime when I have hours to spend examining everything.
Journal 12: To Love or Not to Love and other ideas formed in class 11/9
During the discussion in class today an idea for my essay finally hit me. We have read several texts this semester and in nearly every one of them, love plays a key role. So I said to myself, "Becca why not analyze the concept of love in each story and how it affects the characters?" I think it would be really cool, ya know? Play on the fate of each set of lovers, include other well known lovers and their happy (or not so happy) endings, and then relate it to the hundreds of sappy love movies screenwriters come up with today. Perhaps throw some Nicholas Sparks references in there as well. I don't know, it's a work in progress.
So what can I say on this week's discussion without exhausting ideas for my paper? To begin with, I thought it was interesting how we had to argue opposite sides of the statements about Dido's love and Anieus's actions. sometimes we can be so narrow minded and only see a story or situation in one light. It's a lot like pro/con papers in high school where we were assigned a topic and told which side we were to support. Some times you got the side lining up with your own beliefs, but most of the time you ended up with the one you were against. I feel exercises like these are really helpful and force us to consider all avenues and ideas. (Which is especially good when dealing with other people.) I can see why people might say Dido is merely a victim of the gods. She didn’t ask to fall in love again. In fact, she vowed she would never do so. The fact Aneius’s mother is Venus doesn’t help much either. However, I do feel she may have taken things a bit far. Rather than acting the way she did, Dido should have realized they both had jobs to do, and it just wouldn’t work between them. But then again, she was under the gods’ influence...
Journal 11: I Can't Think of a Witty Title 11/5
I'll be honest and start off saying I have no clue what to write about in this journal. I'm beginning to notice a trend with all of my journal entries. I always seem to write from an observation view point, so I guess that's where I will start. Some how the book, The Tao of Pooh, skipped me, but I thought the concept of it was really cool. Winnie the Pooh was the bomb in my younger years, but as I've grown older I am more aware of how often it is used to illustrate real life. In my sociology class, we spent a fair amount of time talking about how the characters of Winnie the Pooh displayed certain psychological disorders. Eeore has depression. Pooh Bear is OCD and a compulsive eater. Christopher Robbin is a schizophrenic. Piglet has anxiety disorder. And then of course Tigger is ADHD. So naturally, I was impressed by the connection between Pooh and Taoism.
Well, if Pooh is a Daoist, that would be the opposite of OCD. :> [MH]
I think if I lived in China and had to follow Confuscianism or Taoism, I'd probably choose Confuscius. First of all, the Tao writings were a lot more confusing. Second, I don't know much I could just "go with the flow." I like structure and written out guidelines. It just makes things easier. If you've ever been in a supermarket without a list or came out with more than you planned on buying, then you'll understand why I like lists and guidelines so much. Just rolling with the punches doesn't cut it sometimes.
Journal 10: The Good Life 10/29
I feel like this week's presentations were very thought provoking. I really liked how the first group presented what the "good life" consists of, while the second gorup talked more on how to obtain a good life. I think it is safe to say classification of "the good life" is subjective and cannot be pinned down. Even after two days of discussion, I felt we weren't any closer to determining a correct answer.
There were a few really good points brought up in discussion on how to label a life as good or bad; one of which closely matched what I was thinking the entire time. Struggles and hardships are things that make lives unique and people stronger. Life isn't consistant day to day. It is messy and more of a roller coaster ride than a merry-go-round. In my opinion, to have a life that means something in the end, there are going to be a few ups and downs. The people who have an easy life rarely get to experience such events. Instead, they merely ride life as if they were on a merry-go-round. I'm not saying people with easier lives don't have their own highs and downfalls. Recall the structure of the ride. It consists of stationary animals and seats, along with some horses that "gallop" around. Those who play it safe normally sit on the stationary objects, leaving others to test the gallopping horses. Add some cheerful music and rotate the platform around, vola, you have a merry-go-round. Sure it's a fun, relaxing ride, but you don't go anywhere or see anything more by spinning in circles.
Now let's focus on those who take more chances and hop on the roller coaster of life. From the outside looking in, you think, "Wow that's awesome! I've got to try it!" So you stand in line and you wait your turn. If you are really bold then you sit in the very front car, but if you are just inching your way off the merry-go-round, you'll probably choose a seat in the middle. Those at the back are just along for the ride. As you fasten your seatbelt, the fact of what you are about to do sets in and your feel a little nervous. But as the countdown hits zero, you realize there is no turning back and suddenly you are shot out of the station. If you have ever rode a roller coaster, you'll know how rough of a ride it can be at times. Your head bangs against the bars, your teeth clash together, and sometimes you are thrown so hard you feel as if you might fly out of your seat. But you hold on with all you've got and take each steep hill and drop as they come. Just like in life, sometimes you are thrown for an unexpected loop or feel a flash of fear through your body. We can never truly know what life has in store for us. Instead, we must take it as it comes and make due with what we are given. Just like every ride in the amusement park, a lot of the time in life you can determine which "ride" you will board. Each trial you face, adventure you go on, risk you take, enhances your knowledge. You learn what things work and what you should probably not do again. It is the exact same as riding roller coasters. You can't always avoid bumpy courses, twists, turns, or loops, but at least you know what to do when you are faced with them again.
Now if we go back to the concept of life being one HUGE, continuous roller coaster, I can finally explain where I am going with this. A lot of the time when I get on a new thrill ride I am a bit apprehensive. I worry about the safety factors and whether I need to prepare myself for major drops. And I will admit, at times I feel so scared that I want to beg them to let me off before the ride begins. But dispite all of those jaw jarrig tracks, risky drops, corkscrews, and repeative loops, I would go back and do it all over again. This really reminds me of what Jennette Walls talked about in The Glass Castle. Life wasn't easy for her and her family. A lot of the time they spent more time falling rather than climbing, but in the end she wouldn't trade her experiences for anything more. Sure she may adjust some things a bit, but Jennette learned lessons that no one else can learn the same way.
So to conclude this extremely long entry, we may not know what the good life is or how to do things that would give you a good life, but I firmly believe it is the struggles and challenges life presents that make it worth living.
Midterm Review 10/21
Honors 201, Inquires of the Ancient World. To be honest, when I first saw the name of this course I was perplexed. I knew most of the honors courses were discussion based, so I assumed we’d basically just sit around and talk about people of ancient times. And then I saw the book we were required to have. =S Turns out Inquires of the Ancient World wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. I’m not really big on interpreting what Homer, Plato, Socrates, or any of the other poets/writers of the past were trying to convey. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not really the type to jump in on these kinds of conversations. However, I don’t merely sit back and think about things that don’t pertain to the class. I really do make an effort to decipher what is written and what others think. As I look back at the course goals, I find it a bit easier to interpret what we are supposed to getting out of this class. Now that I have a base to compare to, I understand the purpose of this class is to observe how our world and society have changed, yet remained the same in some ways. I feel like as a whole the class does a good job of keeping conversation going and I really enjoy the different avenues people take. As for myself, I feel like I need a bit more direction for when I’m reading. When questions to think about have been posted on the wiki, I find myself delving deeper into the story. It challenges me to think a bit more and come up with my own questions.
Something I really like about this class is that the instructor brings himself down to our level. Rather than guiding our thoughts a certain direction, Dr. Hartman participates in the discussion and provides ideas for us to consider or raises questions we may not have thought of. In addition, it is almost as if the class helps him learn or approach things as well. The group presentations are another thing I have found interesting. They do a pretty good job of relating concepts we have been reading in class to how society has functioned through time. Overall, this class has opened my eyes a bit more on just how much society and cultural beliefs shape everyday life. From polytheism and monarchy all the way through to a country ruled through democracy by one God, society as adapted every step of the way.
Journal 8: Antigone and Rulers 10/14
I sense a common theme with everything we have read so far in class. There seems to always be some kind of leader who dominates the entire story. However the story of Antigone... not so much. I read the play once before and even saw it performed in high school, yet I am still confused as to who is the leader or model character. As we discussed in class, King Creon had to show the citizens that traitors would not be tolerated, nor would they be given any honor at all. But was it completely necessary to deny the family the ability to bury their own? He could have at least given the family the option and allowed them the chance to disgrace their name further by burying a traitor. However, you have to think about how much the family had already been through. First the father and the mother kill themselves and then the two brothers kill each other. Poor Antigone and Ismene! Or should she I say, poor Ismene? Antigone sets out to bury their brother, clearly knowing she will have to die in the end. BUT SHE DIDN'T HAVE TO DIE! Antigone, who looked death straight in the face and who had all of this strength and will power, kills herself. What kind of role model is that?! But I guess karma catches up with Creon eventually... after all his son killed himself at Antigone's feet and then his wife was too sad over the son's death to live any longer. So, yeah... Antigone is a cozy little story...
Leaving Antigone behind, I will now focus on my take of this week's presentation. First of all, I give props to the crowns the girls wore. Someone was clever indeed! I halfway considered dressing up as a superhero for my presentation, but Elizabeth and Wesley didn't act like it was a good idea. Deviations aside, I really enjoyed the presentation. The entire thing flowed nicely and the questions at the end were thought provoking, along with relatable to past and present times. Terms like "leader" and "ruler" have evolved from one time person to another to fit current society. Today they are what people make them. I hold to my claims in class today. I feel the best leaders are those who are servents first and those who are willing to go back and provide service. You can't deliver valid authority to a group of people if you aren't creditable. By being in lower positions and rising to higher status, I feel a leader proves the ability they have. He can relate to his followers because he can personally say he has been in their same situation before. Because of this he is able to offer motivation and advice on how to succeed and work toward bigger goals. Maybe EIL is getting to me, but I believe anyone can be a leader if they are willing to serve first.
Journal 7: Heroes and Adventure 10/08
I honestly feel that where you live and what society is like during your time has a major influence on how words are defined. In fact, I'm pretty sure the existance of the Oxford Dictionary supports my thoughts. Just as technology advances through time, so do thoughts and perceptions. While revisions and discoveries are , but I sometimes question whether some changes take value from the original context. Especially today I find that nothing is as concrete as I once thought. This past spring I took a sociology class through Ivy Teach. The instructor, Ross, challenged every single thought I used to have. It literally felt like at the beginning of class Ross would take every student's brain and put it in a blender. Through out class he'd say something that would confuse everyone or make us question what we thought we had already understood. At the end of class we'd walk out with smoothies for brains. Some times we questioned our own existance. Society plays such a heavy role in every single thought in our brains and it is slightly irritating. Our generation takes pride in our ability to speak and think freely, but when you think about it, our thoughts aren't all that independent. Ultimately, society has shaped every single notion in the human mind. We remain slaves in our "free" world! But now I should probably tie this back to my original thought for this journal...
While preparing our project and then during discussion I noticed how broad most terms are. Words like hero or leader can be defined hundreds of different ways and still be considered correct. So I wonder, in the future will words begin to lose all original meaning and value? Will humans one day live in a world where a central idea or common answer can no longer be found? And how can we ever decide on mutual understanding if every question asked is always answered with another question?
Journal 6: Job, Psalms, and Song of Songs 09/30
The first sunday school lesson I can remember ever actively listening and participating in was over the story of Job. I remember coming back home and telling my mom what I had just been introduced to in the Bible. How could someone face all of these situations and still keep his faith? What makes it even more incredible is that Job begins to blame and curse himself. After everything he has lost, Job wishes he was never allowed to live. He doesn't feel like God has betrayed him. Instead he feels unworthy. The Bible says God loves those who are submissive to His will. Job exceeds any actions I could see other Christians taking.
A bad day to me is waking up to realize you were supposed to be a class 15 minutes ago, forgetting your umbrella in the rush, and then spilling your Starbucks in your lap in front of others. But all of this is NOTHING compared to what Job went through. My bad day just looks like slight blimish when put against the boils of Job. Any time I feel like I'm having a bad day, I'll just remember Job and then I'll feel much better.
"The Lord is my shepard; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he lendeth me beside the still waters...." (Ps. 23) From Job we now move on to the book of Psalms where the mood has CHANGED COMPLETELY, yet in a way the messages are the same. Once again we are reminded of the submissive nature God's followers display toward Him.
Journal 5: Creation Myths and Class Discussion 09/23
Isn't it just like humans to always try to explain everything in the world?! From one civilization to the next, there seems to always be an explaination for how the world and all its inhabitants came to exist. And even today there are multiple suggestions for how everything was created. I think it is interesting how the Orphic religion in ancient Greece believed everything came from a silver egg floating in space. It almost sounds like the Big Bang Theory science provides for the creation of the universe. But what I really want to focus on in this journal is a topic that came up in our Friday discussion: monotheism vs. polytheism. As was brought up in class, all of the monotheistic epics seems to have a common theme of creation from chaos, while Genisis is more orderly. We have talked on and on about how the gods in The Odyssey and Gilgamesh are more like everyday people with great amounts of power, while the God of Genisis is apart from all mankind. Right before class ended an idea formed in my mind that I really would have liked to put out for consideration. In Genesis, God created everything and throughout the Bible He continues to play a significant role in the lives of his followers. By comparing the many gods to Christianity's one God I realized that while the gods could influence people, they rarely did much work at all. The God of Christianity is more compassionate and willing to help his creations than the gods of Olympus. It just seems that whenever there is a conflict in the mortal world or an issue that must solved, the gods just sit on Mt. Olympus and place bets on who will win. Perhaps it is because the Earth and its inhabitants were all God's creation, whereas the greek gods seemed to just be there for supervision. As I pondered upon this a question formed in my mind; Is it better for man to be given all of the tools to complete a task or should he be made to struggle alone? Yes there are times in the Bible when God asks actions of specific people, but He is always there to lend a hand. Does this make His followers weaker than followers of the greek gods? Might there have been less conflict in greek epics if the gods were more like God?
Journal 4: The Odyssey 09/17
(Becca, it's not a completely modern setting, but I think the movie Cold Mountain gives one answer to your question. Also Ulysses by James Joyce. MH)
I think sometimes it is good to just sit and observe class discussions because it fuels thoughts within your own mind. As I sat and listened to how some things were explained or joked around with by Adriana it got me thinking; what would The Odyssey be in modern times? Sure movies have been created from this story, but what would a modern day Odysseus look like? Could he be replaced by one of the many men who have been serving the U.S. in the past years? As I mentioned before, the recent war in Iraq has kept families apart for long periods of time. Though these men have not necessarily faced the same type of situations, they have had trials of their own. Just like Odysseus, some soldiers found themselves with home within their reach just to have their journeys extended. There is no denying the strength of a hero. It takes a lot to keep going when all you want to do is throw in the towel, but it is a battle fought well by Odysseus and soldiers of today.
But maybe Odysseus isn't one of our courageous soldiers... Perhaps instead of being part of our nation's security blanket, our modern day Odysseus is a traveling salesman. Truthfully I feel this might be able to parallel a lot better when it comes to the original journeys and temptations. Imagine Odysseus with his suitcase full of swiss army knives or what have you, and he's knocking door to door in another state. What's to say he won't encounter a bit of eye candy during his travels? Without his wife around the traveling salesman gets mighty lonely and falls prey to the spells of a potential customer. Just when he is about to leave, the salesman's keys turn up missing and BAM! he's stuck! Or maybe the salesman wanders upon a singing woman whose voice is unlike anything he has ever heard. It's possible he could also take food from a group of nice looking people just to find out later it was tainted and he's been "out of this world" for a good part of the day.
Maybe if we just changed up the dialect a bit it would make things more modern...The possibilites are endless!
Journal 3: The Odyssey 09/11
When I look at The Odyssey in comparison to other stories I've read for English classes, I find it interesting how Homer portrays the female figures. I feel that the pieces we were required to read in high school all centered highly around feminist opinions. The women were always facing some kind of struggle against men or were written to be the weaker character. For these reasons, I found it odd to see such strong female characters in The Odyssey. Homer depicts women as strong, cunning individuals; something that is rare in most pieces of literature. If you look at all of the trials Odysseus must overcome, you will notice that the majority of them involve women in some way. Kalypso knew what she was doing when she took Odysseus in and kept him on her island all of those years and Penelope was able to buy time for a while by continuously unweaving the sheath at night. In addition, through the story Athena plays a heavy impact on the lives of both Odysseus and his son, Telemachus. She disguises herself many times to aid Telemachus in discovering the whereabouts of his missing father while also presenting to the other gods a fair fight for Odysseus' safe return.Obviously Homer understood the true strength of women, so can not help to wonder what changed over the years that followed. When did women lose the value and respect they deserve? At what point did women become so weak and fragile? The stories that are studied today involve damsels in distress, stay at home mothers and wives who never spoke out against their husbands. In The Odyssey men and women are on equal ground, but every so often the women are able to out think the men. I have a lot of respect for a man who was blind, yet still could see the strength of a woman.
Journal 2: The Odyssey 09/03
As I mentioned in the last journal, I was first exposed to the Odyssey my freshman year of high school. However, instead of reading the beginning we skipped ahead a few books to find the epic hero with Calypso. What a great first impression of our hero! But in the 9th grade I didn't really seem to pay much attention to this fact. It was hard enough to keep the gods and goddesses straight, let alone worry about the adulterous behavior of Odysseus. Coming back to the story for this class has shown me just how important the first four books are. Books one through four give us a look at how life has gone on in Ithaca while Odysseus has been at sea.For around ten years now the United States has been in a war that has kept loved ones apart. When Odysseus left for the Trojan War he wasn't just leaving his beautiful homeland of Ithaca; he was also leaving his wife and a very young son, Telemachus. When we enter the story of The Odyssey Telemachus, now an adult, knows nothing of his father. As was brought up in discussion, I feel these first few books illustrate Telemachus’ coming of age. Twenty years after Odysseus sets off, Telemachus begins his own journey in hopes of learning about his father and his whereabouts.
It especially affected me when in book four Telemachus is seen lamenting the father he has never met. In that same book, there is a scene in which Helen, Menelaus, and the son of Nestor are all found weeping over words Menelaus had previously said concerning Odysseus. The display of such emotion, especially by the males, is astonishing. It is a genuine love for each other. Menelaus loved Odysseus like a friend. I can only hope for friendships like that.
Journal 1: Gilgamesh and Class Discussion 08/26
Freshman year was the year we all studied mythology at New Castle High School. In the midst of studying The Odyessy the story of Gilgamesh was brought up, but I had never read the story until this class. I watched the video beforehand and after 30 minutes of viewing the entire program, I must say that I was excited to get down to reading this story. In all honesty I think the video gave the story more excitement and action than what was really there. The fact that the story was originally hearsay and then was translated off of clay tablets makes me question how much of the story we are actually getting. What details could be missing and is it possible there might be more evidence to support ancient texts like the Bible? I saw connections to biblical text through out the story, but as I listened to the other individual comments I realized there were a lot more to be found. All in all I enjoyed reading this story and look forward to reading and comparing other works.