Literature

I personally think that literature is an important aspect of a persons education. Although the formal definition for literature is, "writings in which express and form, in connection with ideas or permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, bibliography, and essays", I feel that literature is so much more. I think it is a way for people to express how they or feeling or what may be on their mind. It is a way for people to share their stories and share with others their viewpoints on different situations. It can also be used for families to pass down traditions and keep folk tales alive. Not only can it be used for others to express themselves but it can also be used as a learning device. Literature to me is not necessarily just something that is written down. It can be anything spoken or written that is telling a story. We used literature over this past semester as a way to learn more about other cultures. We also were able to learn about past styles and how things have changed over the many centuries. Many students look as literature classes as something boring however it can be so much more. All students need to do is open up their minds and realize that what they are reading has significant meaning. Each individual person may have different interest  however through literature we are able to look at a wide variety of views and learn from each other. I think that literature is a vital part of education and should not be taken as lightly by students but rather as another way to advance their educations.

King Lear 3

In this weeks blog I want to talk about the deaths of many of the characters at the end. While reading through the last scene I became more and more confused as to why characters were dying so quickly. I understand why Shakespeare would have wanted to kill of the "villains" of the play however I do not understand his reasonings behind killing of characters such as Cordellia and Glouster. Another characters death that I was unsure about was King Lear himself. I understand that in the beginning of the text we as readers may see him as a selfish king who deserves being banished by his daughters. However, after reading more into the text I almost began to feel bad for him. As we discussed in class it becomes more and more clear that King Lear is losing much of his sanity throughout the play. Although I had no sympathy towards him near the beginning, especially in the first act, it is hard for me to still be bitter towards him after realizing that he is insane. Even though he mentally becomes more sane throughout they play, I actually think that a part of him actually becomes more sane. After living outside for an amount of time you see that King Lear becomes more and more aware of the way that he was treating others. I also think that he begins to realize how wrong he was in some situations. So going back to the deaths of the characters I feel that in the end King Lear should have survived. I also strongly believe that Cordelia should have survived as well. Throughout the whole story I see her as the most sane character and the most promising. She actually seems as though she thinks through most of her actions and is able to stand up for herself unlike her sisters. Although I know it is only a play, in a way it frustrates me that characters such as these are killed. I guess part of this can relate back to society. Even those who do everything right and try their hardest every day, may end up hurt in the end.

King Lear 2

Today I want to talk a little bit about the relationships among the characters. I know we talked about this some in class and I also talked about King Lear's relationships with his daughters in my last post but more specifically I want to talk about how I think his relationships have changed. In the beginning he seemed to have a "healthy" relationship with both Regan and Goneril, at least he seems to feel this way however I disagree. In the last passages we have read you can tell that his daughters no longer look to him with the same respect that they once had. They start to realize that he is very needy and is taking advantage of him. I think they begin to realize this when he becomes upset over the amount of knights they will allow him to have. During this time I think King Lear himself begins to realize that he no longer holds the same amount of power that he once had. I think he also comes to the realization that because his daughters no longer need anything from him they no longer look to him in the same way. I think at this point in the story it becomes apparent that both daughters were only sucking up to there father and did not actually feel the way that they stated. Although I realize that Regan and Goneril are upset with the demands their father is requesting, I do not think it was appropriate for them to lock him out in the storm. I feel that in a family even if you are upset with one another you still need to be there to protect each other in times of need. I understand that it was King Lear who stormed out originally but I do not agree that once he left the daughters told Gloucester not to allow him back in if he came back. Overall I do not think that Lear's relationships with his daughters is healthy and can tell that even more problems are likely to arise among them as the story develops.

King Lear

Today I want to talk about the relationship that King Lear seems to have with his daughters. During the first scene of the play we read about King Lear asking each of his daughters to state to him the feelings that they had about him. While reading through the text I thought that he was being serious and that both Regan and Goneril were very serious when they stated their feelings. I also thought that Cordelia was very brave with how honest she was towards her father.
However, after watching some of the film in class my thoughts on the scene changed. I know longer saw King Lear as being serious rather he was playing a sort of game with his daughters. I think that he was playing this game for his own benefit and wanted to make himself feel better by hearing his daughters state their love for him. The look on both Regan and Goneril's faces also had me questioning whether they actually meant what they were saying. The both looked very hesitant and like they were only saying what they knew would please their father. Neither looked like they were being honest or like they were very confident in what they were stating. I did however feel the same about Cordelia. I think that she was being very honest about the ways that she felt about her father and was not scared to be honest. I am still unclear if Cordelia realized what the consequences of her actions would be however based on the many warnings her father gave her during her speech makes me think that she probably realized something would come of her not obeying his orders.
Overall I think that King Lear questioning his daughters love towards him was inappropriate. I do not feel that a father should ever question the love that their daughter holds for them.  A daughter should never have to prove their love but rather it should be something that is simply understood. To me a father who uses his daughters to make himself feel better is not a father at all.

Sunjata

Today I want to discuss how Sunjata is an epic as well as how it is different from the many epics we have read over the course of the semester. First I see the character of Sunjata as an epic hero. However he is different from some of the epic heros we have seen in the past because Sunjata is troubled from the very beginning of his life and has to prove himself over the course of the text. This all begins with him being unable to walk forcing him to crawl around. Once Sunjata finally overcomes this and is able to stand up, his mother is cursed and takes her children away since being exiled. Once again Sunjata proves himself and overcomes all the troubles that come with being exiled. Aside from having an epic hero which I think Sunjata portrays and epic also holds and important representation of the civilization of a culture. I feel that this is something else that is made fairly clear throughout the story. The biggest representation to me is the use of a griot. In the african culture at that time a griot was an important honor to have where a person was able to tell the tales and stories of their ancestors. In the story we find out that despite Sunjata's weakness he is still granted a position as a griot by the king. Earlier in the year we talked about some other qualities of epics such as the way it is written. Often times and epic is written in the form of a long narrative poem. I do not think that the story of Sunjata is necessarily written this way however I do think it is written in a way that shows the story is meant to be spoken. This is another quality that is found in many epics. Overall I think that Sunjata is an interesting yet complicated story that portrays many characteristics found in literary epics. Although I am not sure if this is a quality of an epic I also found it interesting while reading how different each version of Sunjata is and how a person telling the story would change parts in order to fit the audience in which they were speaking to.

Genji

Today I want to talk about Genji as a character. I personally find him to be a very interesting character. Specifically I want to talk about his relationship with the governor’s wife. Throughout the beginning of the story we hear all the men talking about their troubles with women. It is interesting to me what they expect out of women and how they find something wrong with many of them. It also is interesting to me how the relationship among men and women at this time is carried out. That brings me back to Genji’s relationship with the governor’s wife. In this relationship I feel like the roles are reversed. The governor’s wife leads Genji on for a considerable amount of time before realizing that she isn’t interested. At first she is just trying to play hard to get with the intentions of eventual being with him however she then changes her mind. During this time Genji uses her brother to serve as a messenger among the two. However once the relationship between Genji and the governor’s wife ends, Genji ends up sleeping with the boy. Although I know that the relationships among people were very different this still bothers me. I find it very repulsive that a man could have a “relationship” with a women and then just move on to her younger brother or any sibling for that matter like it isn’t a big deal. I know that he just slept with him and did not have an actual relationship but to me this is even more repellent. 

The Courtly Love Lyrics

In today's blog I want to talk about the differences in love and lust. I think that throughout the poems we read you can see the authors talking about both love and lust however to me they are two very different things. First I feel that love is a deep emotional connection that you have with someone while lust is just a description of a physical connection a person may have with someone. I feel that in a healthy relationship there has to be a balance among the two and the relationship cannot be more reliant on one. The poem that really stood out to me as describing lust was "The Apple". The line that really makes me lean more towards lust is "I console myself with a rosy apple, Whose sent is like the myrrh of your nose and your lips..." This line to me has no emotional connection to the woman and is describing how a man physically feels and sees a woman. He makes no attempts so show any sort of emotional connection to the woman who he is talking about and then goes on to talk even more about her physicality. However in the poem "My Companion, I am going to make a vers that is refined", I feel that the author is describing to the readers  what love really is. In the second section we read, "whoever does not learn it deep in his heart.". I feel that this is directly related to the feeling of love. To me love is a deep emotional connection that one does not develop over night but over many months and even years. It is a feeling that is so deep that it can not go away over night either and once a person is in love they may never fall out of it. I think that also brings up an interesting point about love. To me many people go around saying that they love something or someone yet I question how many of these people are speaking the truth. I know that someone may feel that they love someone but to me love is such a deep connection with someone or something that once you have fallen in love, you can never really fall out of it. I see love and lust as two very different feelings that cannot be looked upon as similar. In my eyes the are as different as two things can be and although you can have love with lust I do not think people with lust always have love.

The Book of Margery Kempe

Today I want to discuss the relationship seen between Margery and her husband as well as her relationship with god. I feel that the relationship that she shares with her husband is completely unhealthy. We find out in the beginning that Margery and her husband were married at a young age and blessed with a child soon after. However Margery is quick to point out that she would rather see her husband dead than have to sleep with him. I feel that in a healthy relationship their has to be a sort of sexual relationship and that each partner must desire to be with the other. This is something that the relationship between Margery and her husband was lacking. Although she would not sleep with her husband she does descibe what she feels are physical enounters with Jesus. I feel that part of this comes from her "encounters" with the devil. Margery herself claims to be a religious person yet many times throughout the text does things to counteract her belief. Such as on page 994 when the devil ask her to "forsake Christendom, her fatih, and deny her god". The text then simply explains, "she did". I feel that as a person with such a strong belief you would not simply push aside your beliefs and give into the devil. To me her relationship with god is very different then what a person today might have. On many occasions she claims to have conversations with Jesus. Although I agree that a relationship with god is a very important connection to have in life I find the relationship that Margery has a bit odd and also leads me to believe that Margery may have some other problems within her life.

Inferno

When looking back on Dante so far in the story I think he is much more than just an author. I think that he is using the Inferno to show others his view on what the after life is and where people go. Although I know Virgil is his guide through hell I think Dante himself is a guide to those who are reading his work. He is using himself to show others his view on what life is like when you die and to show what makes a sin a sin.
He uses his religion to make up the different levels of hell by basing them off of the ten commandments. I also think that he bases what a sin actually is off of many different things. Mainly though I think that he defines a sin as an absence of love. I know that we discussed this in class and it was pointed out that lust is a way of love so describing sin as an absence would not make sense. However I do not think that lust is necessarily a sign of love in all cases. I think that someone can be full of lust for someone but not be in love with them. Them may feel a sexual desire to be with them yet not have an emotional connection and I think to be in love there has to be more of an emotional connection than anything else. I do think that if a person is in love with someone then they will be filled with lust for that person but that it is possible for a person to be full of lust for someone without actually loving them. Based on these beliefs I feel that Dante mainly bases what a sin is off of the absence or lack of love towards something or someone.

The Inferno

At first I felt that Virgil was a suitable guide who could show Dante through the different levels of hell. After reading further into the story though my thoughts began to change. Yes, in the first few levels he is able to get Dante through the gates and deeper into hell however that begins to change when they try to enter into Dis. Virgil is a resident of Limbo and has not before gone deeper through hell. The residents in limbo are there because they either were born before the advent of christ or had not been properly baptized. None of the residents in limbo had committed sins as serious as those who lived in the deeper levels of hell. Although I think that Virgil does a fine job of explaining each of the levels to Dante I feel that a more suitable guide may have been someone who comes from a deeper level. Those from deeper in hell may have a better understanding of each level than those in limbo who have never actually had to reside anywhere past the first level.

The Ramayana

Today I want to discuss dharma and how it is followed in the text. Dharma is a cosmic order or law in the Hindu tradition that includes the natural and moral laws that apply to all beings and things. Basically it is the way that order is kept among all people. Respecting the dharma includes obeying those of higher authority without any question such as your father or husband. In the text I feel that many characters are going against dharma and doing things that will solely please themselves.
In the very beginning King Dasaratha states that it is time for him to step down from power and hand the kingdom over to his son Rama. As the result of this Manthara who is the maid-servant to Kaikeyi (Dasaratha's last wife) convinces Kaikeyi that she is being betrayed and that she should basically trick Dasaratha into making her own son Bharta king. This goes against the dharma because both Kaikeyi and Manthara are going against the wishes of someone higher in authority. Not only is Kaikeyi going against someone of high authority but she is also going against the wishes of her husband. To truly follow dharma both Manthara and Kaikeyi should have kept quiet and accepted the actions that were being taken by Dasaratha.
Another moment in the story where the dharma is not being followed is by Sita (Rama's wife) when Rama informs her that he is to go into the forest for fourteen years. He informs Sita that the forest is not a place for her and that she is to stay behind however she will not give in and eventually follows him to the forest. In order for her to have honored dharma she would have stayed behind and waited just as her husband had told her to do.
It is interesting to me that in a society where dharma is so important people are constantly going against it. I feel that if one believes in something strongly enough they will abide by and honor it no matter how much they may want to go against it. If the characters truly believe in dharma they would not be going against solely to gain what they wanted in order to be happy.

Antigone

After reading through Antigone I feel that Creon was wrong in many ways. First, it had been agreed upon that Oedipus' sons Eteocles and Polynices would share the power from year to year. When it was Polynices turn to take over Eteocles refused to step down and hand over power. As a result Polynices used foreigners to try and gain power. I do not feel that by doing this he is acting as a trader in anyway. He was simply fighting for what had been agreed upon. Creon was wrong by only allowing Eteocles a proper burial when in fact he was in fact the son going against the agreement. Therefore I feel that either both sons or just Polynices deserved to have a proper burial.

Another way that I feel Creon is wrong is by not allowing Antigone to give her brother a burial. As we discussed in class during this time it was seen as a womans responsibility to hold the burial. Antigone states on page 954 "he has no right to keep me from my own". I feel that she is not only making a statement about it being a womans responsibility to have the burial but also that Creon has no right to keep her from her family. Being a part of the family I feel that both Antigone and Ismene should have the power to make a decision on whether or not their brother is given a proper burial. 

 Overall I think that a job of a King is to be fair to all people that you are ruling over. I do not feel the Creon holds this characteristics at all. I feel that he is self-fish and only concerned with what makes him look like a better person. This is made apparent when he decides Antigone should be stoned to death. He was not willing to let others know that he was capable of killing a family member and wanted all the blame to be put among the community and not himself. These are just of the few reasons that I feel Creon is wrong with his decisions and why he is not a good leader himself. 

Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh is a courageous and civilized man. Throughout the story we watch as Gilgamesh gains wisdom with each new challenge he is faced with. He is a very power king of Urak and is known as the strongest of all me. However, none of these characteristics make him a great ruler. In fact I feel that he is not a very good ruler at all. To me Gilgamesh is selfish and does things only if they benefit him. He does not care what others want or what feelings they may have. Throughout the story we are show many instances where Gilgamesh shows us just how selfish he really is. One instance is when he decides to kill Humbaba. Both Gilgamesh and Enkidu had no reason to kill Humbaba however they did so anyway. He was doing no harm to anyone or bothering them in anyway yet they still felt the need to kill them. This shows how selfish not only Gilgamesh is but also his friend Enkidu. In the very first paragraph of the story we see “No son is left with his father, for Gilgamest takes them all, even the children;…His lust leaves no virgins to her lover, neither the warrior’s daughter nor the wife of a noble…” Although it is not certain why he is taking the sons we do know that he is taking them for his own needs. He is also taking the women in order to fulfill his needs. This too instances show us how he does not think of others when he makes decisions yet he only thinks of himself and how he can please himself. Although these are just a few instances there are many others in the story that show the readers just how selfish Gilgamesh is. Too me being a selfish is the worst quality a leader can have. In order to be a great leader you need to be willing to fight for the needs of your people and that is something that too me Gilgamesh lacks greatly.