The whole concept of the New Testament confuses me. As I have gotten older I have done a better job of understanding it as a text. For one, a different apostle writes each book and I can never seem to keep their names (or their roles) straight. It also took me YEARS to realize books like Corinthians I and II were letters written from Apostles to churches that sprang up after Jesus’ resurrection in all different regions.
Instead of being written like a narrative, I find that a lot of the New Testament is disjointed- parts of it tell the story of Jesus’ life, the story of John the Baptist, and many of the books recount the same events in different ways. Jesus’ parables are an example, as different parables are featured in different books, though many of them portray the same concepts. Then there are books where the Apostles directly address, advise, and criticize different churches. Finally, the New Testament ends with Revelation, all about one of the Apostles great vision of both heaven, the afterlife, and the end of the world.
Daniela made a really interesting point when she focused on the story of Jesus as a child. She suggested that it was the first time we got a glimpse of heroes in literature as children. Makes sense to me! In the story of Oedipus, his childhood is important and eluded to, but it doesn’t actually play out in any context in his story. The only other place where I remember a hero’s childhood being played up was again in the bible but this time in Exodus. Moses’ mom, in order to save her newborn son from being slaughtered, sent him “adrift in a basket” down the Nile till he came floating into one of the pond courtyards of the Pharaoh. I guess in this way, the writer is setting a precedent for both the character of Jesus and Moses- the point of telling Jesus’ childhood story is to show consistency, that even from a young age he was still inherently wise and godly. Moses’ adoption story lends that he was destined by a crazy twist of fate (or divine intervention) to return to Egypt to free the Israelites.
2 December 2011
Entry 14
Peer Edit
Devin's notes on Susannah's paper: I have to say, I think it can be really difficult to come up with a clear and ORIGINAL thesis in a class that focuses on a few major pieces (for example, The Odyssey probably stands out as the greatest section of the material we covered in class because it took so long to read). However, Susannah does an awesome job at coming up with an original thesis: How does The Odyssey exemplify the servant-master relationship and how does it compare to other types of slavery American culture has been exposed to?
First off, I think Susannah has many strong primary arguments- I easily identified each with the beginning of each paragraph. Also, it is clear to me as I read her essay that she spent time on research in both the story straight out of our anthology and outside sources as well. She does a great job of noting that there are aspects of slavery that are concrete, a little more surface-based and there is a whole other layer to analyze, that of the relationships themselves between master and servant or servant to other servant.
However, I think her ideas would be better facilitated if they had stronger organization. She jumps around a lot- each sub-argument is valid, yet most sub-arguments seem out of place as If they just kind of popped into her head and that time and she jotted it down (of course, that’s pretty natural for a rough draft ;] ) Also, she makes a few assumptions in her essay- some of her points could use evidence for bolstering her claims, and some of her syntactical structure is confusing. Also, while most of if is enjoyable reading because it leans towards creative writing, some of the creativity while making the phrase pretty, muddles the message of the individual sentences. Overall I bet this is going to be awesome with a little reorganization and some polishing- it has plenty of potential J
18 November 2011
Entry 13
Museum of Art
How does the entrance and sculpture court welcome the visitor? What is the message?
2. What are the highlights of the museum collection, and why do you think so?
Spent a lot of time looking at specifically four sculptures in the entrance hall. I loved that the sculptures went together and told a story (like the story of Diana and Actaeon). There is so much movement in the pieces of that room. Actaeon’s lines are so beautiful: his left arm is in direct correlation with his left leg, and where his right knee juts out perpendicularly the right wolf’s back arches perfectly in the right leg’s shape. Very cool J Also, the two dancing women in the front have so much energy- I can see why the sculptor would want to hire athletic dancers because those poses are impossible to hold and still maintain the look of movement- props to the sculptor for making the hair look totally airborne and capturing that kind of crazy abandon facial expression. My reaction walking in was the the museum was pristine and valuable. The marble walls and consistency of white in the opening is really what gave me that impression. As a plus, the sculptures stood out because they were either dark brown or dark green.
I am sure that some of the planned highlights of the museum are the opening sculptures, the giant Buddha statue in the back, and I say that mostly because they are large, highlighted by color against a white background, and are mostly isolated pieces. However, there was one wall of the whole collection that stood out to me the most. Up the stairs and in the back area where pieces are displayed in semi-rooms that all feed back to the same hall there is ONE wall that is freaking awesome.
There are four painting. The top is of a naked man stranded on a beach. Below is a painting of cattle in a sunset. To the left is a great in motion painting of some Arabian war? (it appears). And my least favorite of group is to the left of some queen. The colors just stood out to me so strongly. The ocean’s storm-darkened teal, the cattle’s golden hair, and the sheer believability of the Arabian horserider’s passion. So, so good.
9 November 2011
Entry 12
Aeneid/Critical Essay topics
I quite like both of these topics :D
Option 1: Gender roles in grecian texts: Odyssey, Aeneid, Antigone, Agamemnon (I would pick 3). How have they set precedents for modern gender roles?
Option 2: Moses the Hero: Epic or tragic?
I find the melodrama of greek literature extremely extreme. How many women, after knowing a man for a short spell, would kill themselves out of emotional agony? So unrealistic. Maybe it represents the idea that the gods are in total control and therefore, the emotions of women like Dido are at the mercy of such god’s- but considering that a singular human who catches a god or goddess’s eye can have normal conversations with them, I can’t imagine gods have that much sway on a person’s nature. What Dido’s despair a means to exemplify Aeneas’ superhuman masculinity or to amp up the drama in the story? On the other hand, it is possible that Virgil wanted to add depth to the characters of the story, and therefore made Dido fascinating to analyze; victim of the gods or just manic-depressive? I cannot tell.
Antigone seems like a similar character. She could either be an out of control teenager that has too much angst and excessive emotional baggage, or maybe her depression is the result of some incest-inspired mental deficiency. She too kills herself, and mainly because everything else around her has gone wrong. She at least had lost people near and important to her, Dido has little excuse in my opinion.
On an entirely separate topic, “throwing oneself on his sword.” This expression confuses me. I asked a lot of people whether this is literal, or if it is the same as saying he/she stabbed himself/herself. However, when Dido “throws herself” on Aeneas’ sword, it says that her death is not immediate, but that a god comes and essentially finishes her off, putting her out of her misery. Also, Adrianna once mentioned in class that there was once “forced suicide” in which men would be forced to “fall on their swords.” Did they jump onto them? Lean slowly into them? I’m looking this up…
6 November 2011
Entry 11
Lao Tzu v. Confucius
Just four years ago, I created a project about Taoism. For the project, I had to create an object that represented the religion. Naturally, I chose the Yin Yang symbol- I melted black and white wax candles and dripped them onto wax paper and into the appropriate shape. The black crescent is representative of the Yin. Yin is obscure, feeble, dark, passive, and negative (not exactly representative of “evil”). Yang, on the other hand, represents lightness, knowledge, positivity, and uprightness. Indicative of Chinese culture, this particular religion or spiritual belief make some think that Taoism favored men and that Yin represented women and Yang represented men. At the same time, because the Yin and the Yang represent BALANCE and not good versus evil, the concept is not too offensive J
Sometimes I think on religions/customs like Confucianism or Taoism and wonder, who were the creators of these religions like? Being so different, how did each man (Confucius and Lao Tzu) grow up? These men simply seem to be of two completely different backgrounds and temperaments. Confucius may have grown up in a tumultuous household in which he felt no control over his life and experience social structure to be taxing and haphazard. Organized and linear in thinking, he may have felt distressed there. Consequently he would be compelled to create a system of living that delegated what to do, when to do it, and even the extent to which individuals should feel certain emotions. Perhaps he felt greatly comforted with a detailed system of proper behavior.
Lao Tzu on the other hand, may have lived in a home quite like the household Confucius would have wanted. Yet, phlegmatic and relaxed and even perhaps in touch with nature less than with society, living in a home of rigidity and structure would feel suffocating. Therefore, why not create a religion based on a connection with nature- whatever will be, will be. “Que será, sera.”
I should probably major in interpersonal relations. Or at least take a class.
You can definitely see that these two philosophies of life would appeal to different personalities. [MH]
27 October 2011
Entry 10
The Good Life
When I heard this week was focused on “the Good Life” I expected the reading selection to be primarily about happiness and fulfillment. What I was surprised to find was that the majority of the excerpts argued specific philosophies on what good, is not in terms of enjoyment but in terms of virtue, and how does one obtain goodness?
While the majority of the classes we discussed how no one can truly DIFINE the good life, a few facets of the good life were thrown out as general rules for happiness:
1) Perspective: optimism will yield a happier life than pessimism
2) Purpose: having an impact on the world in a positive way will make one happier
3) People: relationships are worth more than material things
In all of these factors, there is less focus on achievement, fiscal success, and beauty- all factors of what American society seems valuable in having a good life.
Unfortunately, we never reached arguing morality in whether or not being good or bad yields different happiness results. First, there is the ever-present problem of simply defining good and evil. But, operating under the idea that kindness, humility, lawfulness and loyalty are good, with deceitfulness, selfishness, and easily angered on the bad side, we have a serious cultural dilemma.
Media lies to the public saying that material items or money will change people’s lives for the better. Have you ever seen the “It’s my money, and I want it NOW!” advertisement? Yeah.. That’s selling the idea that money is something we should selfishly hold onto and fight for, something we’re entitled to even. Sadly, a great number of marriages end because of money- if only people would stop investing their happiness in the amount of money they have and instead, find that in doing good, loving others, and building relationships. In my mind that’s real happiness.
21 October 2011
Entry 9
Assessment!
Dear Dr. Hartman,
I am going to skip straight to my favorite question: there were so many moments in the class that stood out to me! (in a good way). I really appreciate a professor and a class that allows students to get to know other students as they learn the material and that is exactly what this class has been for me. In fact today, discussing whether Socrates referred to monotheism or polytheism in “Apologies” was an interesting question and the question actually motivated me to look deeper into the material. Also, a lot of the arguments that have resulted from student presentations have been really stimulating. When we came to class with questions about the Odyssey, I know that equally encouraged interesting (and not monotonous) conversation.
Because of this, I think it would be a great if you were to jot down a few questions for students to consider when reading whatever selection is due the following class. I know I personally struggle to complete the reading assignments because I have no idea what we are going to do with it the following day. I really love that we do not have random completion assignments, and I thoroughly enjoy being able to converse with others for the majority of each class. Sometimes in reading though, I tend to feel just slightly directionless.
Although we have covered a lot of the same material I read in middle school and early high school, I find that we are assessing different aspects of the work and I love being able to go through the material succinctly and quickly compared to reading the texts in high school. I may be covering the same works, but I glean new information from the way we discuss them. I experience even more excitement in this course when I realize what we read has a lot to do with other courses I am taking like the honors global studies courses and my current British lit. English course. Anyways, thank you for making this class worthwhile, and allowing each student to sweep conversation in the directions that concede to our personal fascinations.
Sincerely,
=D evin Bishop
14 October 2011
Entry 8 Antigone
Antigone is one of my favorite stories from Grecian literature- I remember being the only 7th grader that actually enjoyed reading it and found the figurative language stimulating. For one, the whole Oedipus Cycle is fascinating to me, I love when literature explores the concept of fate! Poor Oedipus always reminds me (in the slightest way) of Macbeth, and how his tragic fate is inescapable- though I realize Oedipus being sent away as a baby by his father was the real reason he accidentally killed his father/married his mother. Why do people even try to escape fate in such stories? When you are told by someone who prophesies that something WILL happen, no matter what you do or don’t do will lead directly to that predestined event. Silly characters…
Away from that tangent, there is one part in Antigone that I always focus on when reading- Antigone is thinking about her cave/tomb, right before death, and she is talking about how long she has waited to reconnect with her family in the afterlife. She sounds very much like Juliet in Romeo and Juliet when Antigone says “O tomb, my bridal-bed---my house, my prison.” At the death of Tybalt, Juliet comments that her wedding flowers are like funeral flowers and that the canopy of her bridal bed is dust and stone, as Tybalt has died the night she intends to consummate her marriage with Romeo.
Also, Antigone references the “banks of Acheron.” I once thought Acheron was a synonym for Hell. However I looked it up and while there is a river Acheron in Greece, according to Greek Mythology Acheron was the river of pain in Hades, one of the five rivers of the Greek Underworld. According to Virgil, Acheron was the river one must cross to enter the underworld, and other rivers go in and come out, like the river Styx.
7 October 2011
Entry 7
Epic Hero
I am really glad I am taking this Humanities course at the same time that I am enrolled in the honors Global Studies course. There always seems to be prevalent connections between them- for example, we argue about reality a LOT in Global Studies. Naturally, when we started to discuss in class today how to define a hero and how that definition changes from person to person, I thought specifically about David as a hero. For many, David appears to be a Tragic Hero, and for others he is no less that Epic. I for one will define him as an Epic Hero.
David encountered trials throughout his whole life- there was his initial success in the defeat of Goliath, which marked him as a brave and unique individual. King Saul gives David power over armed forces and David grows in success and popularity, as he is both strong and good. Saul out of jealousy and fear turns on David, and David is forced to flea to the wilderness to escape death. Here he grows even closer to God (who has guided his every action) and he gathers forces and defeats Saul. After taking over the Israelites and being anointed as the King of Judah, David goes on to be one of the most God-fearing men of the Old Testament. This is the main quality that makes him a hero of the Judeo/Christian religion. Through a trust and praise of God, David leads the jewish people to glory, victory, and closeness with God, the ultimate king. David’s encounter with Bathsheba however, is where many believe he experiences a “fall” typical of tragic heroes.
In my mind, epic heroes revolve around glory, fame, and the community they impact. Tragic heroes in contrast are not bigger than life, but instead hindered by it; whether manipulated by their wives (Macbeth) or overcome by vengefulness (Hamlet), they are looking for the wrong things in all the wrong ways.
David is imperfect, he does wrong, he defies god, and he commits adultery and kills a man undeservingly. However, God blesses him with a son that brings great glory to his country- so his endings is not too tragic :)
29 September 2011
Entry 6
Book of Job
The book of Job, while not my overall favorite book of the Old Testament, details one of my favorite bible stories. Job was unlike a lot of heroic, biblical characters. He was not the leader of the Israelites, did not birth a nation of divine right, or even experience miracles like parting a sea with a staff or surviving in the belly of a whale. Though not set apart for leadership, Job still held great value in the eyes of God because he was a faithful servant.
I’m going to make a quick connection between Job and Greek Mythology. This is one of the few stories in the bible that represent two sorts of stages for activity:
1.) Job living on earth
2.) God and Satan conversing in “heaven” or upper stage
This reminds me a TON of how Zeus and Athena would talk about Odysseus and Telemachus and their earthly lives. In another comparison, the conversation between God and Satan does not stay separate from earth. What they discuss affects Job directly, as Satan is so sure that Job will waver in his convictions under physical and emotional persecution. The big difference, however, being that God is one hundred percent in control of the situation with Job, whereas the gods in Grecian stories must submit to other willful Gods.
You do not have to be a hero to be important. Yet, contrary to popular belief, heroics need not be defined solely by actions on earth, but also by how earthly life impacts the spiritual hemisphere. Job lost everything, his animals, his money, all of his children, and eventually his health. Even his wife told him to “curse God and die.” He struggles with doubt, who wouldn’t? But at least he was humble enough to understand that God had a greater plan for him and his life purpose than he could grasp- his character encompasses what every Christian lives up to: humble, faithful, willing to praise God even in the storm.
22 September 2011
Entry 5
Creation Myths
Measuring which creation story has the highest validity is impossible. In a Global Studies class I am taking, we are tackling the ambiguous nature of “reality” and all we have managed to agree on, as a class is that there is no “singular reality.” In the same way, there is no singular truth in regards to “sense” and so how does a person declare one story to be more sensible? We roughly touched on the conundrum in class when Adam mentioned the malleability of belief over time, and I compared it to the beliefs that differ from continent to continent. Dr. Hartman, you brought up several times The Rig Veda creation myth, probably because it is considered a sacred text, and there are great similarities AND difference between this myth and that of Genesis. Differences: contrary to American belief, the Vedan creator was a man with a thousand heads, eyes, and feet (does this also mean he had thousands of legs? The story does not specify…) , polytheism, sacrifice, and creation of music, etc. Similarities: One creator, creates the living and non-living, creator transcends time and mortality, and creates space.
I will say, the most startling similarity in my eyes, is that the great Creator (whether God or the Man) creates life in his image. The Veda story details the dismembering of the Man to create the universe, and according to Judeo-Christian religious belief, God used his voice to create the universe and modeled man after his own being.
As for who is right versus wrong, some people believe “majority rules.” If majority defines reality, and the two most popular religions are Islam and Christianity, it seems monotheism reigns sovereign. And if Christianity holds the greatest number (I believe Christianity outweighs Islam by roughly 1 billion followers), then it appears the holy trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit take the religious cake. I hope we get to talk about more of this tomorrow J
15 September 2011
Entry 4 The Odyssey
(Devin, I don't remember this question. I'm sorry I didn't ask it in class. It's a great question. MH)
I watched the clock throughout the whole class Wednesday. Not because I was uninterested in the conversation (for as you may have observed I love classroom discussion), but instead because I desperately wanted to have time to reach my card. Not to self-promote, but I really love coming up with questions (although this is one that has probably been asked before): How does Odysseus’ bow and the bow challenge define masculinity of the time period? How does that definition lend to female/male roles and in this century, what item or challenge would symbolize the ideal man?
Gender fascinates me, and I have written a lot about gender roles and how they change from culture to culture, but I have yet to really explore their change over time. Gender, being so incredibly prevalent to the world and every inter-personal relationship, undergoes changes as the world grows and shifts. Media is greatly responsible for how men and women are valued and perceived. In spite of that, some thematic characteristics of gender never cease:
IN MEN
1) Physical competence
2) Purpose driven
3) Master of his domain
Now I would never claim that these characteristics hold true for every man. However, in film, art, and especially literature, these themes hold true to heroic figures. As I began with the bow, I will explain why it triggered my attention. The bow is an object of war. War relates to all sorts of masculine concepts like power, violence, bravery, and physical skill. Odysseus’ ability to string his bow and use it defined him as a strong man sure, but it implies superiority beyond physicality. I did a little brainstorming and tried to decipher what today’s tool for measuring masculinity would be. Maybe a political podium? A Yacht? Men may value money, and they may value power, but I still believe that nonetheless, in the depths of the male heart, they want to be William Wallace, leading a nation to freedom, or Maximus Meridius, defying the powers of evil and avenging his family. Money and power can never truly hold a torch to bold character.
8 September 2011
Entry 3 The Odyssey
Over the last few years my interest in reading has waned. I once opted to spend a whole summer reading in my back yard as opposed to bike riding to Dairy Queen or swimming with my friends. But that was middle school, and the start of High School so marked the beginning of my social extroversion. A passion for dance and late night Steak-&-Shake runs kept me enveloped in communal bliss as I was interacting with actual and tangible people. I never, however, quite lost my taste for literature and consequently enjoyed my high school’s composition courses and British literature classes more than the average student.
To the dismay of my mother and great joy of my sister (aspiring film producer), our family subscribed to Netflix. I never knew I could love any entertainment more than a good book, but nonetheless, I became obsessed with movies. As an English major (focused on creative writing), I am completely captivated by STORY. Any kind, and I can break it down into tiny pieces, delving into characters and glowing with appreciation for any creator that succeeds in creating a rich, complex and substantial story. Bear with me… I have a point that relates to our class :)
Listening to The Odyssey audio book did not strike my fancy, mostly because I enjoy it only when I can read along, and the different versions frustrate me. I found myself daydreaming, and in that daydream I imagined what it would be like to make a film out of The Odyssey. I know it has been done before (even more than once perhaps?) but I would want to add my own twists to the story telling to make it cinemagraphically pleasing. The epic is thrilling to read and listen to because every situation/scene is vividly described. However, making it into a movie would be the biggest adventure- alluding to the sexual relationships instead of making them explicitly known, characterizing the gods and goddesses with more suspense and mystery. Who is mortal? Who is immortal? Playing with the viewer’s perception of reality in those ways would be incredibly fun. Also, the popular theme of “transformation” would be easy to include in a movie about a man traversing the sea and the land on his journey home. My love of film shows!
31 August 2011
Entry 2 The Odyssey
In reading the long preface to The Odyssey, which describes the historical time in which Homer wrote the epic, I was shocked to discover that Homer himself is responsible in a major way, for how Grecian deities are defined. Imagining that the foundation of the cosmic beliefs of a civilization was inspired by a writer blows my mind. Other than that stunning feature of the story’s history, this epic brings up a lot of questions for me. Namely, and probably least importantly, I wonder how the suitors haven’t noticed that after almost twenty years, Penelope is still weaving that dang tapestry. Let’s be honest, it’s either a mile long or she’s just a perfectionist. But no, she is just unweaving it every single night. These men are stupid. Along the same topic, if scores of men have been eating off of Odysseus’ land for two decades, how is any food left? There is really more livestock to spoil? Apparently so, but I just wondered to myself today how that was possible. For some reasons epithets (especially cryptic ones) really capture my interest. Consequently, I did some minor research on the rhetorical device shown frequently in The Odyssey. The most commonly used epithet by Homer in reference to the warrior goddess Athena is “grey-eyed.” As it turns out, other adjectives to describe her eyes include “piercing,” “bright,” and “gleaming.” Through these words she is compared to an owl because owls see well in the dark while Athena is wise in dark or obscure situations. The only other epithet that kind of threw me off was that of Odysseus. Most make sense in referring to his works at war or his big heart and bravery, but one epithet I remember reading was “the wanderer.” While I know he gets both stuck and distracted on his way home, there seems to be some intentionality around wandering; one wanders when he has no where to be and nothing to do. Of course, the possibility that it is his mind or heart that is wandering is equally plausible. Perhaps his journey home, while as direct as he could possibly make it physically, is unintentionally lengthened because his character must undergo a transformation before he reaches home.
25 August 2011
Entry 1
"The Epic of Gilgamesh"
I sometimes forget that ancient texts and stories like The Odyssey or The Holy Bible are translated from ancient languages. However, in reading The Tale of Gilgamesh I am painfully aware of it. Not only does the story read rather disjointedly, but also there are sections in which the language is really redundant either because it was once a poem, or so the poetry required a rhythm that was attained in repetition, or because the clay tablets displayed figures over and over that could only be translated one way. However, beyond those distracting details, the story leads to some stimulating conversation.
Yesterday (Wednesday the 23rd) was particularly enjoyable for me because I love discussing stories and a story’s thematic content. I found it especially interesting that in ancient civilizations, women were frequently vilified. For example, the Harlot that seduces Enkidu is responsible for splitting his person into two dysfunctional halves: man-with-nature and man-with-society. He was at full physical and spiritual potential when free of the “man-with-society” half and the characteristics of eating bread, drinking wine, clothing himself and being with women corrupt his purest nature. Also, the goddess Ishtar is not only manipulative and maliciously seductive, but has a raging temper. Other than Ninsun, there is neither woman nor goddess represented kindly in the story.
Also, we all discussed some of the connections between biblical stories and the stories told about Gilgamesh. I compare the defeat of Humbaba with the Old Testament story of David and Goliath because David is both independent and extremely strong willed and physically strong compared to the male population of the time. However, he follows his purpose sent by God (as did Gilgamesh following divine advice) and kills a Giant. Also, the story downfall of Samson is a lot like that of Enkidu, as Samon in the Old Testament was granted superior strength from God with his long hair, just to have his deceitful wife Delilah cut it off in the middle of the night (as Ishtar and the Harlot, even, took away Enkidu’s power).
Entry 15
New Testament
The whole concept of the New Testament confuses me. As I have gotten older I have done a better job of understanding it as a text. For one, a different apostle writes each book and I can never seem to keep their names (or their roles) straight. It also took me YEARS to realize books like Corinthians I and II were letters written from Apostles to churches that sprang up after Jesus’ resurrection in all different regions.
Instead of being written like a narrative, I find that a lot of the New Testament is disjointed- parts of it tell the story of Jesus’ life, the story of John the Baptist, and many of the books recount the same events in different ways. Jesus’ parables are an example, as different parables are featured in different books, though many of them portray the same concepts. Then there are books where the Apostles directly address, advise, and criticize different churches. Finally, the New Testament ends with Revelation, all about one of the Apostles great vision of both heaven, the afterlife, and the end of the world.
Daniela made a really interesting point when she focused on the story of Jesus as a child. She suggested that it was the first time we got a glimpse of heroes in literature as children. Makes sense to me! In the story of Oedipus, his childhood is important and eluded to, but it doesn’t actually play out in any context in his story. The only other place where I remember a hero’s childhood being played up was again in the bible but this time in Exodus. Moses’ mom, in order to save her newborn son from being slaughtered, sent him “adrift in a basket” down the Nile till he came floating into one of the pond courtyards of the Pharaoh. I guess in this way, the writer is setting a precedent for both the character of Jesus and Moses- the point of telling Jesus’ childhood story is to show consistency, that even from a young age he was still inherently wise and godly. Moses’ adoption story lends that he was destined by a crazy twist of fate (or divine intervention) to return to Egypt to free the Israelites.
2 December 2011
Entry 14
Peer Edit
Devin's notes on Susannah's paper: I have to say, I think it can be really difficult to come up with a clear and ORIGINAL thesis in a class that focuses on a few major pieces (for example, The Odyssey probably stands out as the greatest section of the material we covered in class because it took so long to read). However, Susannah does an awesome job at coming up with an original thesis: How does The Odyssey exemplify the servant-master relationship and how does it compare to other types of slavery American culture has been exposed to?
First off, I think Susannah has many strong primary arguments- I easily identified each with the beginning of each paragraph. Also, it is clear to me as I read her essay that she spent time on research in both the story straight out of our anthology and outside sources as well. She does a great job of noting that there are aspects of slavery that are concrete, a little more surface-based and there is a whole other layer to analyze, that of the relationships themselves between master and servant or servant to other servant.
However, I think her ideas would be better facilitated if they had stronger organization. She jumps around a lot- each sub-argument is valid, yet most sub-arguments seem out of place as If they just kind of popped into her head and that time and she jotted it down (of course, that’s pretty natural for a rough draft ;] ) Also, she makes a few assumptions in her essay- some of her points could use evidence for bolstering her claims, and some of her syntactical structure is confusing. Also, while most of if is enjoyable reading because it leans towards creative writing, some of the creativity while making the phrase pretty, muddles the message of the individual sentences. Overall I bet this is going to be awesome with a little reorganization and some polishing- it has plenty of potential J
18 November 2011
Entry 13
Museum of Art
- How does the entrance and sculpture court welcome the visitor? What is the message?
2. What are the highlights of the museum collection, and why do you think so?Spent a lot of time looking at specifically four sculptures in the entrance hall. I loved that the sculptures went together and told a story (like the story of Diana and Actaeon). There is so much movement in the pieces of that room. Actaeon’s lines are so beautiful: his left arm is in direct correlation with his left leg, and where his right knee juts out perpendicularly the right wolf’s back arches perfectly in the right leg’s shape. Very cool J Also, the two dancing women in the front have so much energy- I can see why the sculptor would want to hire athletic dancers because those poses are impossible to hold and still maintain the look of movement- props to the sculptor for making the hair look totally airborne and capturing that kind of crazy abandon facial expression. My reaction walking in was the the museum was pristine and valuable. The marble walls and consistency of white in the opening is really what gave me that impression. As a plus, the sculptures stood out because they were either dark brown or dark green.
I am sure that some of the planned highlights of the museum are the opening sculptures, the giant Buddha statue in the back, and I say that mostly because they are large, highlighted by color against a white background, and are mostly isolated pieces. However, there was one wall of the whole collection that stood out to me the most. Up the stairs and in the back area where pieces are displayed in semi-rooms that all feed back to the same hall there is ONE wall that is freaking awesome.
There are four painting. The top is of a naked man stranded on a beach. Below is a painting of cattle in a sunset. To the left is a great in motion painting of some Arabian war? (it appears). And my least favorite of group is to the left of some queen. The colors just stood out to me so strongly. The ocean’s storm-darkened teal, the cattle’s golden hair, and the sheer believability of the Arabian horserider’s passion. So, so good.
9 November 2011
Entry 12
Aeneid/Critical Essay topics
I quite like both of these topics :D
Option 1: Gender roles in grecian texts: Odyssey, Aeneid, Antigone, Agamemnon (I would pick 3). How have they set precedents for modern gender roles?
Option 2: Moses the Hero: Epic or tragic?
I find the melodrama of greek literature extremely extreme. How many women, after knowing a man for a short spell, would kill themselves out of emotional agony? So unrealistic. Maybe it represents the idea that the gods are in total control and therefore, the emotions of women like Dido are at the mercy of such god’s- but considering that a singular human who catches a god or goddess’s eye can have normal conversations with them, I can’t imagine gods have that much sway on a person’s nature. What Dido’s despair a means to exemplify Aeneas’ superhuman masculinity or to amp up the drama in the story? On the other hand, it is possible that Virgil wanted to add depth to the characters of the story, and therefore made Dido fascinating to analyze; victim of the gods or just manic-depressive? I cannot tell.
Antigone seems like a similar character. She could either be an out of control teenager that has too much angst and excessive emotional baggage, or maybe her depression is the result of some incest-inspired mental deficiency. She too kills herself, and mainly because everything else around her has gone wrong. She at least had lost people near and important to her, Dido has little excuse in my opinion.
On an entirely separate topic, “throwing oneself on his sword.” This expression confuses me. I asked a lot of people whether this is literal, or if it is the same as saying he/she stabbed himself/herself. However, when Dido “throws herself” on Aeneas’ sword, it says that her death is not immediate, but that a god comes and essentially finishes her off, putting her out of her misery. Also, Adrianna once mentioned in class that there was once “forced suicide” in which men would be forced to “fall on their swords.” Did they jump onto them? Lean slowly into them? I’m looking this up…
6 November 2011
Entry 11
Lao Tzu v. Confucius
Just four years ago, I created a project about Taoism. For the project, I had to create an object that represented the religion. Naturally, I chose the Yin Yang symbol- I melted black and white wax candles and dripped them onto wax paper and into the appropriate shape. The black crescent is representative of the Yin. Yin is obscure, feeble, dark, passive, and negative (not exactly representative of “evil”). Yang, on the other hand, represents lightness, knowledge, positivity, and uprightness. Indicative of Chinese culture, this particular religion or spiritual belief make some think that Taoism favored men and that Yin represented women and Yang represented men. At the same time, because the Yin and the Yang represent BALANCE and not good versus evil, the concept is not too offensive J
Sometimes I think on religions/customs like Confucianism or Taoism and wonder, who were the creators of these religions like? Being so different, how did each man (Confucius and Lao Tzu) grow up? These men simply seem to be of two completely different backgrounds and temperaments. Confucius may have grown up in a tumultuous household in which he felt no control over his life and experience social structure to be taxing and haphazard. Organized and linear in thinking, he may have felt distressed there. Consequently he would be compelled to create a system of living that delegated what to do, when to do it, and even the extent to which individuals should feel certain emotions. Perhaps he felt greatly comforted with a detailed system of proper behavior.
Lao Tzu on the other hand, may have lived in a home quite like the household Confucius would have wanted. Yet, phlegmatic and relaxed and even perhaps in touch with nature less than with society, living in a home of rigidity and structure would feel suffocating. Therefore, why not create a religion based on a connection with nature- whatever will be, will be. “Que será, sera.”
I should probably major in interpersonal relations. Or at least take a class.
You can definitely see that these two philosophies of life would appeal to different personalities. [MH]
27 October 2011
Entry 10
The Good Life
When I heard this week was focused on “the Good Life” I expected the reading selection to be primarily about happiness and fulfillment. What I was surprised to find was that the majority of the excerpts argued specific philosophies on what good, is not in terms of enjoyment but in terms of virtue, and how does one obtain goodness?
While the majority of the classes we discussed how no one can truly DIFINE the good life, a few facets of the good life were thrown out as general rules for happiness:
1) Perspective: optimism will yield a happier life than pessimism
2) Purpose: having an impact on the world in a positive way will make one happier
3) People: relationships are worth more than material things
In all of these factors, there is less focus on achievement, fiscal success, and beauty- all factors of what American society seems valuable in having a good life.
Unfortunately, we never reached arguing morality in whether or not being good or bad yields different happiness results. First, there is the ever-present problem of simply defining good and evil. But, operating under the idea that kindness, humility, lawfulness and loyalty are good, with deceitfulness, selfishness, and easily angered on the bad side, we have a serious cultural dilemma.
Media lies to the public saying that material items or money will change people’s lives for the better. Have you ever seen the “It’s my money, and I want it NOW!” advertisement? Yeah.. That’s selling the idea that money is something we should selfishly hold onto and fight for, something we’re entitled to even. Sadly, a great number of marriages end because of money- if only people would stop investing their happiness in the amount of money they have and instead, find that in doing good, loving others, and building relationships. In my mind that’s real happiness.
21 October 2011
Entry 9
Assessment!
Dear Dr. Hartman,
I am going to skip straight to my favorite question: there were so many moments in the class that stood out to me! (in a good way). I really appreciate a professor and a class that allows students to get to know other students as they learn the material and that is exactly what this class has been for me. In fact today, discussing whether Socrates referred to monotheism or polytheism in “Apologies” was an interesting question and the question actually motivated me to look deeper into the material. Also, a lot of the arguments that have resulted from student presentations have been really stimulating. When we came to class with questions about the Odyssey, I know that equally encouraged interesting (and not monotonous) conversation.
Because of this, I think it would be a great if you were to jot down a few questions for students to consider when reading whatever selection is due the following class. I know I personally struggle to complete the reading assignments because I have no idea what we are going to do with it the following day. I really love that we do not have random completion assignments, and I thoroughly enjoy being able to converse with others for the majority of each class. Sometimes in reading though, I tend to feel just slightly directionless.
Although we have covered a lot of the same material I read in middle school and early high school, I find that we are assessing different aspects of the work and I love being able to go through the material succinctly and quickly compared to reading the texts in high school. I may be covering the same works, but I glean new information from the way we discuss them. I experience even more excitement in this course when I realize what we read has a lot to do with other courses I am taking like the honors global studies courses and my current British lit. English course. Anyways, thank you for making this class worthwhile, and allowing each student to sweep conversation in the directions that concede to our personal fascinations.
Sincerely,
=D evin Bishop
14 October 2011
Entry 8
Antigone
Antigone is one of my favorite stories from Grecian literature- I remember being the only 7th grader that actually enjoyed reading it and found the figurative language stimulating. For one, the whole Oedipus Cycle is fascinating to me, I love when literature explores the concept of fate! Poor Oedipus always reminds me (in the slightest way) of Macbeth, and how his tragic fate is inescapable- though I realize Oedipus being sent away as a baby by his father was the real reason he accidentally killed his father/married his mother. Why do people even try to escape fate in such stories? When you are told by someone who prophesies that something WILL happen, no matter what you do or don’t do will lead directly to that predestined event. Silly characters…
Away from that tangent, there is one part in Antigone that I always focus on when reading- Antigone is thinking about her cave/tomb, right before death, and she is talking about how long she has waited to reconnect with her family in the afterlife. She sounds very much like Juliet in Romeo and Juliet when Antigone says “O tomb, my bridal-bed---my house, my prison.” At the death of Tybalt, Juliet comments that her wedding flowers are like funeral flowers and that the canopy of her bridal bed is dust and stone, as Tybalt has died the night she intends to consummate her marriage with Romeo.
Also, Antigone references the “banks of Acheron.” I once thought Acheron was a synonym for Hell. However I looked it up and while there is a river Acheron in Greece, according to Greek Mythology Acheron was the river of pain in Hades, one of the five rivers of the Greek Underworld. According to Virgil, Acheron was the river one must cross to enter the underworld, and other rivers go in and come out, like the river Styx.
7 October 2011
Entry 7
Epic Hero
I am really glad I am taking this Humanities course at the same time that I am enrolled in the honors Global Studies course. There always seems to be prevalent connections between them- for example, we argue about reality a LOT in Global Studies. Naturally, when we started to discuss in class today how to define a hero and how that definition changes from person to person, I thought specifically about David as a hero. For many, David appears to be a Tragic Hero, and for others he is no less that Epic. I for one will define him as an Epic Hero.
David encountered trials throughout his whole life- there was his initial success in the defeat of Goliath, which marked him as a brave and unique individual. King Saul gives David power over armed forces and David grows in success and popularity, as he is both strong and good. Saul out of jealousy and fear turns on David, and David is forced to flea to the wilderness to escape death. Here he grows even closer to God (who has guided his every action) and he gathers forces and defeats Saul. After taking over the Israelites and being anointed as the King of Judah, David goes on to be one of the most God-fearing men of the Old Testament. This is the main quality that makes him a hero of the Judeo/Christian religion. Through a trust and praise of God, David leads the jewish people to glory, victory, and closeness with God, the ultimate king. David’s encounter with Bathsheba however, is where many believe he experiences a “fall” typical of tragic heroes.
In my mind, epic heroes revolve around glory, fame, and the community they impact. Tragic heroes in contrast are not bigger than life, but instead hindered by it; whether manipulated by their wives (Macbeth) or overcome by vengefulness (Hamlet), they are looking for the wrong things in all the wrong ways.
David is imperfect, he does wrong, he defies god, and he commits adultery and kills a man undeservingly. However, God blesses him with a son that brings great glory to his country- so his endings is not too tragic :)
29 September 2011
Entry 6
Book of Job
The book of Job, while not my overall favorite book of the Old Testament, details one of my favorite bible stories. Job was unlike a lot of heroic, biblical characters. He was not the leader of the Israelites, did not birth a nation of divine right, or even experience miracles like parting a sea with a staff or surviving in the belly of a whale. Though not set apart for leadership, Job still held great value in the eyes of God because he was a faithful servant.
I’m going to make a quick connection between Job and Greek Mythology. This is one of the few stories in the bible that represent two sorts of stages for activity:
1.) Job living on earth
2.) God and Satan conversing in “heaven” or upper stage
This reminds me a TON of how Zeus and Athena would talk about Odysseus and Telemachus and their earthly lives. In another comparison, the conversation between God and Satan does not stay separate from earth. What they discuss affects Job directly, as Satan is so sure that Job will waver in his convictions under physical and emotional persecution. The big difference, however, being that God is one hundred percent in control of the situation with Job, whereas the gods in Grecian stories must submit to other willful Gods.
You do not have to be a hero to be important. Yet, contrary to popular belief, heroics need not be defined solely by actions on earth, but also by how earthly life impacts the spiritual hemisphere. Job lost everything, his animals, his money, all of his children, and eventually his health. Even his wife told him to “curse God and die.” He struggles with doubt, who wouldn’t? But at least he was humble enough to understand that God had a greater plan for him and his life purpose than he could grasp- his character encompasses what every Christian lives up to: humble, faithful, willing to praise God even in the storm.
22 September 2011
Entry 5
Creation Myths
Measuring which creation story has the highest validity is impossible. In a Global Studies class I am taking, we are tackling the ambiguous nature of “reality” and all we have managed to agree on, as a class is that there is no “singular reality.” In the same way, there is no singular truth in regards to “sense” and so how does a person declare one story to be more sensible? We roughly touched on the conundrum in class when Adam mentioned the malleability of belief over time, and I compared it to the beliefs that differ from continent to continent. Dr. Hartman, you brought up several times The Rig Veda creation myth, probably because it is considered a sacred text, and there are great similarities AND difference between this myth and that of Genesis.
Differences: contrary to American belief, the Vedan creator was a man with a thousand heads, eyes, and feet (does this also mean he had thousands of legs? The story does not specify…) , polytheism, sacrifice, and creation of music, etc.
Similarities: One creator, creates the living and non-living, creator transcends time and mortality, and creates space.
I will say, the most startling similarity in my eyes, is that the great Creator (whether God or the Man) creates life in his image. The Veda story details the dismembering of the Man to create the universe, and according to Judeo-Christian religious belief, God used his voice to create the universe and modeled man after his own being.
As for who is right versus wrong, some people believe “majority rules.” If majority defines reality, and the two most popular religions are Islam and Christianity, it seems monotheism reigns sovereign. And if Christianity holds the greatest number (I believe Christianity outweighs Islam by roughly 1 billion followers), then it appears the holy trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit take the religious cake. I hope we get to talk about more of this tomorrow J
15 September 2011
Entry 4
The Odyssey
(Devin, I don't remember this question. I'm sorry I didn't ask it in class. It's a great question. MH)
I watched the clock throughout the whole class Wednesday. Not because I was uninterested in the conversation (for as you may have observed I love classroom discussion), but instead because I desperately wanted to have time to reach my card. Not to self-promote, but I really love coming up with questions (although this is one that has probably been asked before): How does Odysseus’ bow and the bow challenge define masculinity of the time period? How does that definition lend to female/male roles and in this century, what item or challenge would symbolize the ideal man?
Gender fascinates me, and I have written a lot about gender roles and how they change from culture to culture, but I have yet to really explore their change over time. Gender, being so incredibly prevalent to the world and every inter-personal relationship, undergoes changes as the world grows and shifts. Media is greatly responsible for how men and women are valued and perceived. In spite of that, some thematic characteristics of gender never cease:
IN MEN
1) Physical competence
2) Purpose driven
3) Master of his domain
Now I would never claim that these characteristics hold true for every man. However, in film, art, and especially literature, these themes hold true to heroic figures. As I began with the bow, I will explain why it triggered my attention. The bow is an object of war. War relates to all sorts of masculine concepts like power, violence, bravery, and physical skill. Odysseus’ ability to string his bow and use it defined him as a strong man sure, but it implies superiority beyond physicality. I did a little brainstorming and tried to decipher what today’s tool for measuring masculinity would be. Maybe a political podium? A Yacht? Men may value money, and they may value power, but I still believe that nonetheless, in the depths of the male heart, they want to be William Wallace, leading a nation to freedom, or Maximus Meridius, defying the powers of evil and avenging his family. Money and power can never truly hold a torch to bold character.
8 September 2011
Entry 3
The Odyssey
Over the last few years my interest in reading has waned. I once opted to spend a whole summer reading in my back yard as opposed to bike riding to Dairy Queen or swimming with my friends. But that was middle school, and the start of High School so marked the beginning of my social extroversion. A passion for dance and late night Steak-&-Shake runs kept me enveloped in communal bliss as I was interacting with actual and tangible people. I never, however, quite lost my taste for literature and consequently enjoyed my high school’s composition courses and British literature classes more than the average student.
To the dismay of my mother and great joy of my sister (aspiring film producer), our family subscribed to Netflix. I never knew I could love any entertainment more than a good book, but nonetheless, I became obsessed with movies. As an English major (focused on creative writing), I am completely captivated by STORY. Any kind, and I can break it down into tiny pieces, delving into characters and glowing with appreciation for any creator that succeeds in creating a rich, complex and substantial story. Bear with me… I have a point that relates to our class :)
Listening to The Odyssey audio book did not strike my fancy, mostly because I enjoy it only when I can read along, and the different versions frustrate me. I found myself daydreaming, and in that daydream I imagined what it would be like to make a film out of The Odyssey. I know it has been done before (even more than once perhaps?) but I would want to add my own twists to the story telling to make it cinemagraphically pleasing. The epic is thrilling to read and listen to because every situation/scene is vividly described. However, making it into a movie would be the biggest adventure- alluding to the sexual relationships instead of making them explicitly known, characterizing the gods and goddesses with more suspense and mystery. Who is mortal? Who is immortal? Playing with the viewer’s perception of reality in those ways would be incredibly fun. Also, the popular theme of “transformation” would be easy to include in a movie about a man traversing the sea and the land on his journey home. My love of film shows!
31 August 2011
Entry 2
The Odyssey
In reading the long preface to The Odyssey, which describes the historical time in which Homer wrote the epic, I was shocked to discover that Homer himself is responsible in a major way, for how Grecian deities are defined. Imagining that the foundation of the cosmic beliefs of a civilization was inspired by a writer blows my mind.
Other than that stunning feature of the story’s history, this epic brings up a lot of questions for me. Namely, and probably least importantly, I wonder how the suitors haven’t noticed that after almost twenty years, Penelope is still weaving that dang tapestry. Let’s be honest, it’s either a mile long or she’s just a perfectionist. But no, she is just unweaving it every single night. These men are stupid. Along the same topic, if scores of men have been eating off of Odysseus’ land for two decades, how is any food left? There is really more livestock to spoil? Apparently so, but I just wondered to myself today how that was possible.
For some reasons epithets (especially cryptic ones) really capture my interest. Consequently, I did some minor research on the rhetorical device shown frequently in The Odyssey. The most commonly used epithet by Homer in reference to the warrior goddess Athena is “grey-eyed.” As it turns out, other adjectives to describe her eyes include “piercing,” “bright,” and “gleaming.” Through these words she is compared to an owl because owls see well in the dark while Athena is wise in dark or obscure situations. The only other epithet that kind of threw me off was that of Odysseus. Most make sense in referring to his works at war or his big heart and bravery, but one epithet I remember reading was “the wanderer.” While I know he gets both stuck and distracted on his way home, there seems to be some intentionality around wandering; one wanders when he has no where to be and nothing to do. Of course, the possibility that it is his mind or heart that is wandering is equally plausible. Perhaps his journey home, while as direct as he could possibly make it physically, is unintentionally lengthened because his character must undergo a transformation before he reaches home.
25 August 2011
Entry 1
"The Epic of Gilgamesh"
I sometimes forget that ancient texts and stories like The Odyssey or The Holy Bible are translated from ancient languages. However, in reading The Tale of Gilgamesh I am painfully aware of it. Not only does the story read rather disjointedly, but also there are sections in which the language is really redundant either because it was once a poem, or so the poetry required a rhythm that was attained in repetition, or because the clay tablets displayed figures over and over that could only be translated one way. However, beyond those distracting details, the story leads to some stimulating conversation.
Yesterday (Wednesday the 23rd) was particularly enjoyable for me because I love discussing stories and a story’s thematic content. I found it especially interesting that in ancient civilizations, women were frequently vilified. For example, the Harlot that seduces Enkidu is responsible for splitting his person into two dysfunctional halves: man-with-nature and man-with-society. He was at full physical and spiritual potential when free of the “man-with-society” half and the characteristics of eating bread, drinking wine, clothing himself and being with women corrupt his purest nature. Also, the goddess Ishtar is not only manipulative and maliciously seductive, but has a raging temper. Other than Ninsun, there is neither woman nor goddess represented kindly in the story.
Also, we all discussed some of the connections between biblical stories and the stories told about Gilgamesh. I compare the defeat of Humbaba with the Old Testament story of David and Goliath because David is both independent and extremely strong willed and physically strong compared to the male population of the time. However, he follows his purpose sent by God (as did Gilgamesh following divine advice) and kills a Giant. Also, the story downfall of Samson is a lot like that of Enkidu, as Samon in the Old Testament was granted superior strength from God with his long hair, just to have his deceitful wife Delilah cut it off in the middle of the night (as Ishtar and the Harlot, even, took away Enkidu’s power).