2/21/14 This week as we read Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilych, I enjoyed reading and discussing the symbols and themes that we found in the novel. With my presentation also being this week, I enjoyed reading into the characters and their points of view. This novel reading had many themes and symbols that also made it really interesting to read and lent a lot of material and ideas for class discussion.
One part of the presentation Danielle and I gave in class that was really interesting to me was how the different characters view life and death. Tolstoy focused on sending the reader the message of needing to come to terms with death and be accepting of it before they can live a happy life. It also works in the reverse, as Tolstoy wants the reader to have healthy relationships in life and appreciation before you can come to terms with the idea of death.
This coming to terms with death is something Ivan struggled with throughout the novel and especially in the end as he becomes more ill. There is also the idea of religion involved, because he is struggling with the idea of his life being over and whether heavenly life continues after death. Ivan is relieved of his pain temporarily when he is given communion, which I think is a sign that Tolstoy wants us to consider religion as part of the “right” life and part of that healthy view of life and death.
Maddie Albert Weekly Response #2
This week introduced some new perspectives on freedom. Today’s discussion of Dostoevsky’s “The Grand Inquisitor” showed that his writings conveyed some very unique views on freedom. The characters in the story, Alyosha and Ivan, have different views regarding religion. Ivan, the non-religious brother tells the story from the point of view of the Grand Inquisitor, who also has some different views. I drew a parallel between the two sets of characters when the Grand Inquisitor argues against Jesus’ actions just as Ivan expresses his negative opinion of his brother’s religious beliefs.
The main driver of the discussion today was on the topic of happiness vs. freedom, if Jesus’s definition of freedom is better than the freedoms the Grand Inquisitor wanted to give to the people. The G.I. believed in giving the allusion of choice and freedom and therefore making people happier because they didn’t have to make major decisions, as opposed to offering complete free thought and free will. I think that people would be most happy with a combination of these definitions of freedom. In that case, people have freedom to make some decisions, but the governing body still directs them so that society can function properly. If people were all free to make any choice they wanted, with no boundaries, there would be a lot of discord.
Another question raised questioned the motive behind Jesus’ silence during the G.I.’s accusations, and why he would only choose to respond with a kiss. From the reading, I drew the conclusion that Jesus was silent because that expressed his love for all people, even the G.I., who was having Christians killed. It also reminded that his love gave people free will to express and hold any opinion. His farewell kiss also enforces that he loves everyone regardless of their biblical sinful nature.
Maddie Albert Weekly Response 1
In his narrative, Frederick Douglass teaches us as the reader much about freedom. In the passages we read thus far, he describes his life as a slave and it seems that he was experiencing anything but freedom. These negative experiences help bring to light the more positive times where he felt more free or was able to act like a normal human being and not a piece of property. A lot of the passages that stood out to me regarding freedom were about Douglass finding joy in learning to read. I think that becoming literate gave him the feeling of freedom because very few slaves were permitted to learn. It also opened him up to many new ideas and allowed him to learn about things that he wouldn’t normally have known about. Reading and writing gave him a freedom of the mind that he didn’t previously have. I think that this new knowledge also gave him courage and helped him eventually create an escape plan.
As I mentioned before, a lot of the emotionally charged passages that stood out to me were him talking about his reactions to learning to read and write. He was very clever and found such joy in reading, but also said that it felt like a curse at times. I think that he sometimes was overcome with guilt that he was having the privilege to learn while other slaves had far less privileges. He eventually puts his knowledge to use and creates an escape plan, but also wants to free many other slaves because he feels that it is his responsibility to help them. I think that this shows remarkable compassion and strength, because he could have easily let his harsh circumstances change him into a selfish person who had given up and lost meaning in life.
Weekly Response #7
2/21/14
This week as we read Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilych, I enjoyed reading and discussing the symbols and themes that we found in the novel. With my presentation also being this week, I enjoyed reading into the characters and their points of view. This novel reading had many themes and symbols that also made it really interesting to read and lent a lot of material and ideas for class discussion.
One part of the presentation Danielle and I gave in class that was really interesting to me was how the different characters view life and death. Tolstoy focused on sending the reader the message of needing to come to terms with death and be accepting of it before they can live a happy life. It also works in the reverse, as Tolstoy wants the reader to have healthy relationships in life and appreciation before you can come to terms with the idea of death.
This coming to terms with death is something Ivan struggled with throughout the novel and especially in the end as he becomes more ill. There is also the idea of religion involved, because he is struggling with the idea of his life being over and whether heavenly life continues after death. Ivan is relieved of his pain temporarily when he is given communion, which I think is a sign that Tolstoy wants us to consider religion as part of the “right” life and part of that healthy view of life and death.
Maddie Albert
Weekly Response #2
This week introduced some new perspectives on freedom. Today’s discussion of Dostoevsky’s “The Grand Inquisitor” showed that his writings conveyed some very unique views on freedom. The characters in the story, Alyosha and Ivan, have different views regarding religion. Ivan, the non-religious brother tells the story from the point of view of the Grand Inquisitor, who also has some different views. I drew a parallel between the two sets of characters when the Grand Inquisitor argues against Jesus’ actions just as Ivan expresses his negative opinion of his brother’s religious beliefs.
The main driver of the discussion today was on the topic of happiness vs. freedom, if Jesus’s definition of freedom is better than the freedoms the Grand Inquisitor wanted to give to the people. The G.I. believed in giving the allusion of choice and freedom and therefore making people happier because they didn’t have to make major decisions, as opposed to offering complete free thought and free will. I think that people would be most happy with a combination of these definitions of freedom. In that case, people have freedom to make some decisions, but the governing body still directs them so that society can function properly. If people were all free to make any choice they wanted, with no boundaries, there would be a lot of discord.
Another question raised questioned the motive behind Jesus’ silence during the G.I.’s accusations, and why he would only choose to respond with a kiss. From the reading, I drew the conclusion that Jesus was silent because that expressed his love for all people, even the G.I., who was having Christians killed. It also reminded that his love gave people free will to express and hold any opinion. His farewell kiss also enforces that he loves everyone regardless of their biblical sinful nature.
Maddie Albert
Weekly Response 1
In his narrative, Frederick Douglass teaches us as the reader much about freedom. In the passages we read thus far, he describes his life as a slave and it seems that he was experiencing anything but freedom. These negative experiences help bring to light the more positive times where he felt more free or was able to act like a normal human being and not a piece of property. A lot of the passages that stood out to me regarding freedom were about Douglass finding joy in learning to read. I think that becoming literate gave him the feeling of freedom because very few slaves were permitted to learn. It also opened him up to many new ideas and allowed him to learn about things that he wouldn’t normally have known about. Reading and writing gave him a freedom of the mind that he didn’t previously have. I think that this new knowledge also gave him courage and helped him eventually create an escape plan.
As I mentioned before, a lot of the emotionally charged passages that stood out to me were him talking about his reactions to learning to read and write. He was very clever and found such joy in reading, but also said that it felt like a curse at times. I think that he sometimes was overcome with guilt that he was having the privilege to learn while other slaves had far less privileges. He eventually puts his knowledge to use and creates an escape plan, but also wants to free many other slaves because he feels that it is his responsibility to help them. I think that this shows remarkable compassion and strength, because he could have easily let his harsh circumstances change him into a selfish person who had given up and lost meaning in life.