Although I hit most of my points in my essay, I read back over my outline and quotes and found that these ideas I either did not mention or did not get to elaborate on enough.
-Evil's prescence in Kurtz is mirrored by God and his followers. Too often we hear of Christians killing for God in the Crusades, Klu Klux Klan, even our quest in Vietnam and Salem witch trials. So Kurtz murdering those spies in his camp was not very unsound when you compare it to other christian activities. In Vietnam we were fighting to prove that God and Capitalism was the way.
- Evil's prescence in the Godfather: Don Vito and Michael have an omniscient characteristic to them. They just know what is happening around in the world. God has that same characteristic according to Christianity. Maybe there is a reason why he is called the Godfather. Somebody else must have seen this same correlation. Don Vito is also respected, worshiped, and potentially vengeful. He just wants his followers to be loyal to him as he fights the evils. God is like Don Vito in his destruction of Sodom and Gamora when he destroyes the city for their bad ways that did not include worshipping him. Don Vito has this same action toward Charlie Fontain's Director. Killing his horse is like destroying his life. Plus God and the Godfather allow evil in the world to exist. Both allow killing, gambling, and prostitution. If either one really cared, could they complete erradicate these evils from the world? I don't think they want to because it would destroy their need. It is in their self interest to keep these evils in the world so people come to them for protection.
- Evil's Strategy: Iago tempts Othello just as Lord Henry tempts Dorian Gray. Lord Henry gives Dorian the ideas and from there Dorian like Othelllo just paints his own gruesome picture of sins. God does the same thing. He gives us this book of truths, the Bible, and leaves us to fend against evil ourselves. Adam and Eve are told that evil has entered into the garden but God leaves them to fight it themselves. Once they eat the fruit which god put there in the first place, they did all the work to destroy themselves. Satan just had to give Eve the idea to eat the fruit. We live in a world of choices and rarely are we forced to do anything. We normally choose in one way or another. God works in another way too. God gives us the ideas of good so we strive to put up this great image of goodness, yet we still contain evil. So many times the peers forget that everyone is evil inside. There are just different amounts of good and evil. In this way, Basil is God and Lord Henry is Satan. God paints the picture of goodness: our potential goodness that we can have. Then Satan comes in and gives us the ideas to start destroying this image. We slowly make our picture uglier and uglier. As Bradley says ," Iago is not simply a man of action; he is an artist..." (93). Iago, Lord Henry, and Satan are their own artists just like Basil. They just use dark colors. Artists help us make an image of ourselves. They put the image into our thoughts. Basil tries to put an image of beauty and virginity into his picture of Dorian but Lord Henry paints dorian a different picture of a gruesome sinner. God paints a picture of us as angels in heaven but Satan makes a portrait of us as sinners in hell. Iago was a brilliant artist who creates an image completely new. No one would think of Othello as a murder and jealous man, but Iago sees the painting in his head. Then he just uses his power over Othello to paint the image and set it into Othello's mind. With these two images in our head, we make the choice of which image we are going to portray in life. The artists just give us the idea.
- Evil's stratgey: God sends Gabriel to tempt Adam and Eve to loyalty just as Satan works to gain Adam and Eve's loyalty to evil. The Cold War is a perfect comparison to this situation in the Garden of Eden. Capitalism and Communism fight for the loyalty of Africans, Vietnamese, and Koreans. Natives just have to pick the lesser of two evils.
-Conclusion: History proves the difference between Good and evil because the victor writes history. Capitalism is better because Communism didnt survive. So since I was created in god's image and since we are capable of evil(morrow 216), I am evil. The image I see in the mirror is a paiting of reality: the combination of my two paintings of good and evil Nathan. People are not good unless there are other evil people around. If everyone was good like Martin Luther King Jr., then he would not be remembered. With this in mind, the evil of the world helps define time( Morrow). We would not remember history unless there were great events of Good vs. Evil. no one cares about Eve's gardening. they care about her fall to evil's ideas.
I finally got the ideas I had wanted, and I just started writing. The grammar is probably pretty rough.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
I had a dream
Did anyone else think that Heart of Darkness was very similar to the idea behind Inception. I am thinking specifically where Marlow says that he had his "choice of nightmares," and I think the movie is based on this same idea. When the movie comes to the final scene where the dreidel does not fall, I think this is a perfect example where Cobb decides he wants to live in a certain dream with his kids. We are left to decide if reality is a dream or not. I think the "reality" we see throughout the entire movie is not a dream, but its the one Cobb chooses. It's his nightmare.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Restrain Evil
If characters such as Iago despise those who have a lack of restraint in their emotions, then they must be suicidal. Iago hates Roderigo because he cannot control his love for Desdemona, and our super villain hates Cassio because he cannot restrain himself with wine. Yet when Iago unleashes his full wrath he is not restraining himself at all. He is taking full pleasure in his game with all of his puppets. So why do villains never look in the mirror at their own behavior. I guess they believe they are restraining themselves to their limit but I think they could moderate themselves a little more rather than go off killing generals.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
To Everyone
Should start reading exams today, Thursday. Check your WA email for more details. I am commenting here on Nathan’s blog about how the exam went. I really would like for you to blog while the exam and the semester lingers. I’ll allow a day or so after New Year’s to review your thoughts. They’ll be easier to remember if you’ll blog them.
Good luck on history and science exams!
CC
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Exam Vent
Overall, I wrote the ideas I had planned in my essay and used most of the quotes that I had planned. However, I spent an extensive amount of time reading about my subject, and in the end, I didn't get to convey many of the ideas. When I wrote my outline, I left most of the thought for the moment I was in the exam because I knew I couldnt write it all down and memorize it before hand. During the exam at the hour mark, I had just finished writing about my first topic, the presence, and realized I needed to pick up the pace. Then, it became a mad sprint for couple minutes that probably didn't make perfect sense or flow well. By the end, I focused on what I really wanted to write about. There were so many more connections I could have made and I could have used way better concrete examples and support
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Othello quotes
Nostbakken, Faith. Understanding Othello: A Student’s Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Ed. Claudia Durst Johnson. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2000.
1. Despite malice lurking in his heart, he cloaked with proud and valorous speech and with a specious presence the villainy of his soul (9).
2. Othello provides the play’s emotional focus as a man of stature who rises and falls from greatness (19)
3. Iago is the intellectual focus as the manipulator who convinces his victims to respond and act in certain ways (20).
4. The end – whether it be money, ambition, or personal gains – can justify the means, whatever cruel and inhuman actions are required (22).
5. Iago, as a consummate plotter and schemer who sometimes appears to be in control of everyone’s actions and responses on stage (6)
Potter, Nicholas. Othello Character Studies. London: Continuum, 2008.
6. He takes delight in showing us just how casually wicked he is. He is lightly but determinedly vindictive (54).
7. But if ‘black’ is not ‘white’ the ‘white’ is not ‘black,’ and so ‘black’ is not ‘not-black’ and ‘white’ is not ‘not-white.’ In other words they need each other to define themselves (42).
Bloom, Harold. An Essay by Harold Bloom. Othello. By William Shakespeare. Yale: Riverhead Books, 1998.
8. The love of power, which is another name for the love mischief, was natural to man (205).
9. Othello was everything to Iago, because war was everything; passed over, Iago is nothing, and in warring against Othello, his war is against ontology (209).
10. He will die under torture, silently, but he will have left a mutilated reality as his monument (209).
11. Othello, the skilled professional who maintains the purity of arms by sharply dividing the camp of war from that of peace (208).
12. [Iago’s] web has all of war’s game like magic, but no place in it for Emilia’s honest indignation (221).
13. [Othello] presents himself as a living legend or walking myth, nobler than any antique Roman (222).
14. Othello’s warlike fullness of being was in part another emptiness (242).
15. By working so close to his victim, Iago becomes the Devil-as-matador (242-243).
1. Despite malice lurking in his heart, he cloaked with proud and valorous speech and with a specious presence the villainy of his soul (9).
2. Othello provides the play’s emotional focus as a man of stature who rises and falls from greatness (19)
3. Iago is the intellectual focus as the manipulator who convinces his victims to respond and act in certain ways (20).
4. The end – whether it be money, ambition, or personal gains – can justify the means, whatever cruel and inhuman actions are required (22).
5. Iago, as a consummate plotter and schemer who sometimes appears to be in control of everyone’s actions and responses on stage (6)
Potter, Nicholas. Othello Character Studies. London: Continuum, 2008.
6. He takes delight in showing us just how casually wicked he is. He is lightly but determinedly vindictive (54).
7. But if ‘black’ is not ‘white’ the ‘white’ is not ‘black,’ and so ‘black’ is not ‘not-black’ and ‘white’ is not ‘not-white.’ In other words they need each other to define themselves (42).
Bloom, Harold. An Essay by Harold Bloom. Othello. By William Shakespeare. Yale: Riverhead Books, 1998.
8. The love of power, which is another name for the love mischief, was natural to man (205).
9. Othello was everything to Iago, because war was everything; passed over, Iago is nothing, and in warring against Othello, his war is against ontology (209).
10. He will die under torture, silently, but he will have left a mutilated reality as his monument (209).
11. Othello, the skilled professional who maintains the purity of arms by sharply dividing the camp of war from that of peace (208).
12. [Iago’s] web has all of war’s game like magic, but no place in it for Emilia’s honest indignation (221).
13. [Othello] presents himself as a living legend or walking myth, nobler than any antique Roman (222).
14. Othello’s warlike fullness of being was in part another emptiness (242).
15. By working so close to his victim, Iago becomes the Devil-as-matador (242-243).
PL quotes
Lewis, C.S. A Preface to Paradise Lost. London: Oxford University Press, 1961.
1. In the midst of a world of light and love, of song and dance, he could find nothing to think of more interesting than his own prestige. P.96
2. A creature revolting against a creator is revolting against the source of his own powers – including even his power to revolt. P. 96
3. What we see in Satan is the horrible co-existence of a subtle and incessant intellectual activity with an incapacity to understand anything. P.99
4. Heaven understand Hell and Hell does not understand Heaven. P.101
5. Satan is already wilting under the doom of Nonsense – that his brain is already in process of decay. P.79
Waldock, A. J. A. “Satan and the Technique of Degradation.” Milton Paradise Lost: A Collection of Critical Essays. Louis L. Martz. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc., 1966.
6. Each great speech lifts Satan a little beyond what Milton really intended. P.86
7. Satan’s character as made up of aesthetically harmonious qualities – of qualities that match. P. 85
8. In a true Hell, the damned have come to the end of their road. P. 96
9. Each of them is like a man who has just sold his country or his friend and now knows himself to be a pariah. P101
Bush, Douglass. “Characters and Drama.” Milton Paradise Lost: A Collection of Critical Essays. Louis L. Martz. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc., 1966.
10. Satan would certainly have been an ineffectual villain if he had not had magnetism enough to sway a host of followers. P. 111
11. Satan sees only a conflict between himself, the world conqueror, and a temporarily superior force; he cannot see that it is a conflict between good and evil. P. 114
Steadman, John M. “Satan and Oratory.” John Milton’s Paradise Lost: Bloom’s Notes. Ed. Harold Bloom. Broomall, Pennsylvania: Chelsea House Publishers, 1996.
12. His fall is itself a visible and tangible sign of his degradation in more than one respect: political and moral, physical and metaphysical. P. 67
13. Satan is already degraded for the moment he first makes his appearance, even though he does his best to disguise the fact from his fellows and himself. P. 67
14. Satan as orator – as rhetorician and as sophist – is just as heroic as the earlier portrait of Satan as martial combatant. P. 68
15. Satanic heroism is….the perversion of all heroic values that we have admired. P. 65
1. In the midst of a world of light and love, of song and dance, he could find nothing to think of more interesting than his own prestige. P.96
2. A creature revolting against a creator is revolting against the source of his own powers – including even his power to revolt. P. 96
3. What we see in Satan is the horrible co-existence of a subtle and incessant intellectual activity with an incapacity to understand anything. P.99
4. Heaven understand Hell and Hell does not understand Heaven. P.101
5. Satan is already wilting under the doom of Nonsense – that his brain is already in process of decay. P.79
Waldock, A. J. A. “Satan and the Technique of Degradation.” Milton Paradise Lost: A Collection of Critical Essays. Louis L. Martz. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc., 1966.
6. Each great speech lifts Satan a little beyond what Milton really intended. P.86
7. Satan’s character as made up of aesthetically harmonious qualities – of qualities that match. P. 85
8. In a true Hell, the damned have come to the end of their road. P. 96
9. Each of them is like a man who has just sold his country or his friend and now knows himself to be a pariah. P101
Bush, Douglass. “Characters and Drama.” Milton Paradise Lost: A Collection of Critical Essays. Louis L. Martz. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc., 1966.
10. Satan would certainly have been an ineffectual villain if he had not had magnetism enough to sway a host of followers. P. 111
11. Satan sees only a conflict between himself, the world conqueror, and a temporarily superior force; he cannot see that it is a conflict between good and evil. P. 114
Steadman, John M. “Satan and Oratory.” John Milton’s Paradise Lost: Bloom’s Notes. Ed. Harold Bloom. Broomall, Pennsylvania: Chelsea House Publishers, 1996.
12. His fall is itself a visible and tangible sign of his degradation in more than one respect: political and moral, physical and metaphysical. P. 67
13. Satan is already degraded for the moment he first makes his appearance, even though he does his best to disguise the fact from his fellows and himself. P. 67
14. Satan as orator – as rhetorician and as sophist – is just as heroic as the earlier portrait of Satan as martial combatant. P. 68
15. Satanic heroism is….the perversion of all heroic values that we have admired. P. 65
Friday, December 10, 2010
Othello Quotes
Othello Quotes
Adams, John Quincy. “Misconceptions of Shakespeare, upon the Stage.” Notes and Comments upon Certain Plays and Actors of Shakespeare (1864): 217-28. Rpt. in Shakespearean Criticism 4. Ed. James Henry Hacket. Charleston: Charleston Publishers, 1864. 217-28
1. “Whatever sympathy we feel for the sufferings of Desdemona flows from the consideration that she is innocent of the particular crime imputed to her, and that she is the victim of a treacherous and artful intriguer. But, while compassionating her melancholy fate, we cannot forget the vice of her character… her fondling with Othello is disgusting. Who, in real life, would have her for a sister, daughter, or wife?”
Auden, W.H. “The Joker in the Pack.” The Dyer’s Hand and Other Essays (1961) 246-72. Rpt. in Iago. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea: Chelsea House Publishers, 1992. 136
2. “I am inclined to think that the story Iago tells Roderigo about his disappointment over the lieutenancy is a deliberate fabrication. One notices, for example, that he contradicts himself. At first he claims that Othello had appointed Cassio in spite of the request of three great ones of the city who recommended Iago, but then a few lines later, he says
Preferment goes by letter and affection,
Not by the old gradation where each second
Stood heir to the first.”
Cassio Character Analysis. October 3. 2010. http://www.shmoop.com/othello/michael-cassio.html
3. “Cassio is the kind of guy who likes to put women in one of two categories – virgin or whore. When he talks about Desdemona, we can tell that he sees her as a kind of secular Virgin Mary.”
Desdemona Character Analysis. October 3. 2010. http://www.shmoop.com/othello/desdemona.html
4. “whether Cassio's fight really prevents any sex at all that night – is less clear. But Bloom argues that what makes Othello's jealousy so tortuous is that the only way he can figure out if Desdemona is actually cheating with him or not is to have sex with her. If she's still a virgin, she's been faithful. But, Bloom suggests, Othello just can't take the pressure of sleeping with his wife and realizing in the act that she's not a virgin”
Emilia Character Analysis. October 3, 2010. http://www.shmoop.com/othello/emilia.html
5. “Emilia is the only one that Iago underestimates – and she's the only one who ultimately can bring Iago down… Iago, who is so good at predicting and manipulating other people's behavior, only fails to understand one person – the person he should have known best.”
Gardner, Helen. “The Noble Moor” Proceedings of the British Academy (1955): 195-98. Rpt. In Iago. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea: Chelsea House Publishers, 1992. 48
6. “The tragic experience with which this play concerned is loss of faith, and Iago is the instrument to bring Othello to this crisis of his being. His task is made possible by his being an old and trusted companion, while husband and wife are virtually strangers, bound only by passion and faith”
Goddard, Harold C. “Othello.” The Meaning of Shakespeare (1951): 461-65. Rpt. in Iago. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea: Chelsea House Publishers, 1992. 37-38, 39
7. “The psychology of Iago is that of the slave-with-brains who aspires to power yet remains a slave at heart… We are led to conjecture that some situation or event in Iago’s life that produced a profound of injustice or inferiority”
8. “He is perhaps the most terrific indictment of pure intellect in the literature of the world- “pure intellect,” which, as Emerson said. “is the pure devil”
Granville- Barker, Harley. “Iago.”Prefaces to Shakespeare: Fourth Series (1945): 167-69. Rpt. in Iago. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea: Chelsea House Publishers, 1992. 33.
9. “He is a passionless creature… Shakespeare admits neither love nor lust into Iago’s composition, nothing so human… Even his hate is cold”
Harold, Bloom. The Invention of Human. Riverhead: Riverhead Trade, 1999. 422-433
10. “The character of Iago… belongs to a class of characters common to Shakspeare (sic), and at the same time peculiar to him – namely, that of great intellectual activity, accompanied with a total want of moral principle, and therefore displaying inself at the constant expense of others, and seeking to confound the practical distinctions of right and wrong, by referring them to some overstrained standard of speculative refinement.”
Jordan, Hoover H. “Dramatic Illusion in Othello.” Shakespeare Quarterly (1950): 148-51. Rpt. in Iago. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea: Chelsea House Publishers, 1992. 34-35.
11. “But what of Iago? Can Othello be absolved for not uncovering his true nature … The crux of the argument in reference to him, therefore, is whether such a man in actuality can sink rapidly to a frightful degeneration. If possible, then excuse for Othello and the others may be sought. If not possible, that is, putting the matter another way, if he has been habitually knavish behind an honest front, Othello, Emilia, and most of others must be extremely dull indeed for not having detected the duplicity.”
Pollard, David. “Iago’s Wound.” Othello: New Perspectives (1991): 89-96. Rpt. in Iago. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea: Chelsea House Publishers, 1992. 78
12. “Like Cassio, Desdemona holds a place close to Othello that Iago experiences as personal displacement… she possesses a reputation for “honesty”- with all of that word’s ambiguity- which contends with Iago’s own. The task becomes, therefore, for masculine “honesty” to find means to discredit its feminine counterpart.”
Rosenberg, Marvin. “In Defense of Iago.” Shakespeare Quarterly 6 (1955): 145-58. Rpt. in Iago. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea: Chelsea House Publishers, 1992. 113
13. “Iago was really the jealous one- and he had a right to be jealous. The unsuspected infidelity was a fact; Othello’s part in it explained why Othello himself should have been so ready to suspect his own wife of adultery.”
Sewell, Arthur. “Character and Vision.” The Meaning of Shakespeare (1951): 461-65. Rpt. in Iago. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea: Chelsea House Publishers, 1992. 41
14. “Othello and Iago <…> characterize by their imagery the worlds they engage and in which they live … Othello’s world is dynamic and he is, in a sense, the creative center of it. He creates his world from moment to moment, and it may be said in him that mind and nature are one. Iago, on the other hand, lives in a static world, in which men’s characters are catalogued and their behaviors predicted. Othello’s is a perceptual, Iago’s a conceptual universe.”
Sitwell, Edith. “Iago.” New Writing and Daylight 7 (1941): 141-42, 145. Rpt. in Iago. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea: Chelsea House Publishers, 1992. 33
15. “Sometimes he even tries to emulate their feelings, the speech born from these,- as when he pretends to himself, and to Emilia, that he knows jealousy (but even then the pretence breaks down, and we see the face behind the mask: it is that of Pride)”
Adams, John Quincy. “Misconceptions of Shakespeare, upon the Stage.” Notes and Comments upon Certain Plays and Actors of Shakespeare (1864): 217-28. Rpt. in Shakespearean Criticism 4. Ed. James Henry Hacket. Charleston: Charleston Publishers, 1864. 217-28
1. “Whatever sympathy we feel for the sufferings of Desdemona flows from the consideration that she is innocent of the particular crime imputed to her, and that she is the victim of a treacherous and artful intriguer. But, while compassionating her melancholy fate, we cannot forget the vice of her character… her fondling with Othello is disgusting. Who, in real life, would have her for a sister, daughter, or wife?”
Auden, W.H. “The Joker in the Pack.” The Dyer’s Hand and Other Essays (1961) 246-72. Rpt. in Iago. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea: Chelsea House Publishers, 1992. 136
2. “I am inclined to think that the story Iago tells Roderigo about his disappointment over the lieutenancy is a deliberate fabrication. One notices, for example, that he contradicts himself. At first he claims that Othello had appointed Cassio in spite of the request of three great ones of the city who recommended Iago, but then a few lines later, he says
Preferment goes by letter and affection,
Not by the old gradation where each second
Stood heir to the first.”
Cassio Character Analysis. October 3. 2010. http://www.shmoop.com/othello/michael-cassio.html
3. “Cassio is the kind of guy who likes to put women in one of two categories – virgin or whore. When he talks about Desdemona, we can tell that he sees her as a kind of secular Virgin Mary.”
Desdemona Character Analysis. October 3. 2010. http://www.shmoop.com/othello/desdemona.html
4. “whether Cassio's fight really prevents any sex at all that night – is less clear. But Bloom argues that what makes Othello's jealousy so tortuous is that the only way he can figure out if Desdemona is actually cheating with him or not is to have sex with her. If she's still a virgin, she's been faithful. But, Bloom suggests, Othello just can't take the pressure of sleeping with his wife and realizing in the act that she's not a virgin”
Emilia Character Analysis. October 3, 2010. http://www.shmoop.com/othello/emilia.html
5. “Emilia is the only one that Iago underestimates – and she's the only one who ultimately can bring Iago down… Iago, who is so good at predicting and manipulating other people's behavior, only fails to understand one person – the person he should have known best.”
Gardner, Helen. “The Noble Moor” Proceedings of the British Academy (1955): 195-98. Rpt. In Iago. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea: Chelsea House Publishers, 1992. 48
6. “The tragic experience with which this play concerned is loss of faith, and Iago is the instrument to bring Othello to this crisis of his being. His task is made possible by his being an old and trusted companion, while husband and wife are virtually strangers, bound only by passion and faith”
Goddard, Harold C. “Othello.” The Meaning of Shakespeare (1951): 461-65. Rpt. in Iago. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea: Chelsea House Publishers, 1992. 37-38, 39
7. “The psychology of Iago is that of the slave-with-brains who aspires to power yet remains a slave at heart… We are led to conjecture that some situation or event in Iago’s life that produced a profound of injustice or inferiority”
8. “He is perhaps the most terrific indictment of pure intellect in the literature of the world- “pure intellect,” which, as Emerson said. “is the pure devil”
Granville- Barker, Harley. “Iago.”Prefaces to Shakespeare: Fourth Series (1945): 167-69. Rpt. in Iago. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea: Chelsea House Publishers, 1992. 33.
9. “He is a passionless creature… Shakespeare admits neither love nor lust into Iago’s composition, nothing so human… Even his hate is cold”
Harold, Bloom. The Invention of Human. Riverhead: Riverhead Trade, 1999. 422-433
10. “The character of Iago… belongs to a class of characters common to Shakspeare (sic), and at the same time peculiar to him – namely, that of great intellectual activity, accompanied with a total want of moral principle, and therefore displaying inself at the constant expense of others, and seeking to confound the practical distinctions of right and wrong, by referring them to some overstrained standard of speculative refinement.”
Jordan, Hoover H. “Dramatic Illusion in Othello.” Shakespeare Quarterly (1950): 148-51. Rpt. in Iago. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea: Chelsea House Publishers, 1992. 34-35.
11. “But what of Iago? Can Othello be absolved for not uncovering his true nature … The crux of the argument in reference to him, therefore, is whether such a man in actuality can sink rapidly to a frightful degeneration. If possible, then excuse for Othello and the others may be sought. If not possible, that is, putting the matter another way, if he has been habitually knavish behind an honest front, Othello, Emilia, and most of others must be extremely dull indeed for not having detected the duplicity.”
Pollard, David. “Iago’s Wound.” Othello: New Perspectives (1991): 89-96. Rpt. in Iago. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea: Chelsea House Publishers, 1992. 78
12. “Like Cassio, Desdemona holds a place close to Othello that Iago experiences as personal displacement… she possesses a reputation for “honesty”- with all of that word’s ambiguity- which contends with Iago’s own. The task becomes, therefore, for masculine “honesty” to find means to discredit its feminine counterpart.”
Rosenberg, Marvin. “In Defense of Iago.” Shakespeare Quarterly 6 (1955): 145-58. Rpt. in Iago. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea: Chelsea House Publishers, 1992. 113
13. “Iago was really the jealous one- and he had a right to be jealous. The unsuspected infidelity was a fact; Othello’s part in it explained why Othello himself should have been so ready to suspect his own wife of adultery.”
Sewell, Arthur. “Character and Vision.” The Meaning of Shakespeare (1951): 461-65. Rpt. in Iago. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea: Chelsea House Publishers, 1992. 41
14. “Othello and Iago <…> characterize by their imagery the worlds they engage and in which they live … Othello’s world is dynamic and he is, in a sense, the creative center of it. He creates his world from moment to moment, and it may be said in him that mind and nature are one. Iago, on the other hand, lives in a static world, in which men’s characters are catalogued and their behaviors predicted. Othello’s is a perceptual, Iago’s a conceptual universe.”
Sitwell, Edith. “Iago.” New Writing and Daylight 7 (1941): 141-42, 145. Rpt. in Iago. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea: Chelsea House Publishers, 1992. 33
15. “Sometimes he even tries to emulate their feelings, the speech born from these,- as when he pretends to himself, and to Emilia, that he knows jealousy (but even then the pretence breaks down, and we see the face behind the mask: it is that of Pride)”
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Hitler's Youth
Marlowe is surprised in The Heart of Darkness by how normal the savages look. How unstrange they appear. Isn't evil supposed to look and seem different? The Devil has red horns and a pointy tail- so why can't it be that easy to spot evil in everyday life. I think the tragedy of Hitler's Youth was that the children were not able to recognize the wickedness of what they were doing, saying, and whom they were praising because they knew no better. Satan in Paradise Lost ponders whether it can " do [Adam and Eve] onely stand/ By ignorance, is that the happie state”(Milton, IV. 518-519). The Hitler Youth live in the happy state of ignorance, not knowing the evil that surrounds them in around every campfire and in every tune they gleefully chant. It is palpable, but their ideas of good and evil are manipulated and reversed. With so many interpretations of evil, who really is to say what's right and what's wrong?
Hitler's Youth
The most recurrent phrase that I heard during the video was how clever the Nazis were with the propaganda within the Hitler Youth. After the video was finished, I had to agree: the cleaver things that the Nazis made sure were either present or absent throughtout the whole thing greatly influences one's subconcious.
Liz's comment on how the Hitler Youth did not mention that any of these activities were for Hitler (at least in the beginning) is probably the most important example. Hitler had everyone believe that the Hitler Youth was created to make young boys into proper Germans, instead of his true purpose of trying to implant his ideals into society through the youth and later on create an army. This initial purpose made the program seem not just harmless but beneficial to the young boys of Germany; when they started saying that their activities were for Hitler, it didn't matter then because the vast majority of boys had already joined and were blindly following the organization, and any parents that spoke out against the organization or Hitler were reported to the Gestapo by their own children if they were in the Hitler Youth.
Also, a great portion of the still-shots were of that young, innocent-looking boy saluting Hitler which we see as the most frightening picure; however, back then, that was a picture of what was considered the "perfect German" saluting Hitler who the Germans thought of as a man who had/ was helping Germany out of the great depression that followed after WWI and was restoring Germany back to its original glory. This image would have been seen as positive by the Germans back then.
In addition, the way the Nazis taught the boys many military-like maneuvers (such as ducking down in the grass to hide and then popping up) by hiding them as games was also very cleaver. Hiding something that closely resembles basic training for today's army as a summer camp for the boys in the Hitler Youth is just another example of how clever the Nazis were.
Liz's comment on how the Hitler Youth did not mention that any of these activities were for Hitler (at least in the beginning) is probably the most important example. Hitler had everyone believe that the Hitler Youth was created to make young boys into proper Germans, instead of his true purpose of trying to implant his ideals into society through the youth and later on create an army. This initial purpose made the program seem not just harmless but beneficial to the young boys of Germany; when they started saying that their activities were for Hitler, it didn't matter then because the vast majority of boys had already joined and were blindly following the organization, and any parents that spoke out against the organization or Hitler were reported to the Gestapo by their own children if they were in the Hitler Youth.
Also, a great portion of the still-shots were of that young, innocent-looking boy saluting Hitler which we see as the most frightening picure; however, back then, that was a picture of what was considered the "perfect German" saluting Hitler who the Germans thought of as a man who had/ was helping Germany out of the great depression that followed after WWI and was restoring Germany back to its original glory. This image would have been seen as positive by the Germans back then.
In addition, the way the Nazis taught the boys many military-like maneuvers (such as ducking down in the grass to hide and then popping up) by hiding them as games was also very cleaver. Hiding something that closely resembles basic training for today's army as a summer camp for the boys in the Hitler Youth is just another example of how clever the Nazis were.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
What is the difference?
The idea that stuck in my mind during the video about the Hitler Youth program was I would love to join. This program is so much like Boy Scouts except a little more physical in the war simulations. My question is where does the difference come in to play? I believe our opinions are immensely affected by propaganda. It is often said that history is written by the victors, and this is a prime example. The activities and the principles that the Hitler Youth embodied (for the most part) were no different than wrestling practice, Boy Scouts, or ROTC. However, the Hitler Youth produced soldiers for the Third Reich which had horrible motivations. Yet our domestic programs in the US train teens for the army, too. As a society, we have been inundated with information of the Nazi's plans so anything in concordance with the party was bad. This is not true. While the Hitler youth forcing kids to join, separating them from their families, and taking part on Crystal Night was wrong, the program was good in parts. It encouraged autonomy in adolescences which is a natural progression. It helped outdoor skills and physical fitness. Plus it promoted unity among males in local areas. Those evil looks we see are no different then the pictures you would see of camping trips or the Scout festival over the summer. In no way does membership in the Hitler Youth make all these boys evil. It's just unfortunate that the outcome for such a program was negative. With all the propaganda in the world, it is hard to decide if we really are seeing the truth.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Hitler's Youth
Some words the Nazi leaders used to convince the German people to follow them caught my attention. Over and over again, I heard do this for the flag and do that for the flag. Sometimes they said do this for the future of Germany. You are the future of Germany.
They never directly said do this for Hitler. I found that interesting. They were never directly told to do something because Hitler said so either, if I remember correctly. Hitler is their leader and certainly receives threats or faces hardships. Yet, I feel like Hitler was creating these perfect German robots to build and protect his strength, power, and dominance over the world. He certainly was not getting beaten to the point of needing a doctor's appointment by his friends.
Part 2.
While watching the video, I couldn't stop thinking about how similar marching band is compared to the Hitler's Youth Program. We wear uniforms, march together, play together, and do almost everything together. We have section leaders, field captains, equipment managers, uniform managers, and drum majors all filled by young high school students. We are even supposed to knock bystanders down, or at least to the side, if they attempt to run in between our ranks. We say we are ONE band ONE sound. We completely rid ourselves of individuality, but that's an important part of being a marching band. We cannot have band members slumping around in whatever they want and expect respect or a positive image. It's very disturbing to realize the similarities, to realize how close good and evil are. Just a slight tweak and something important to learn and act upon is dangerous. It is strange and very clever because marching band and other similar activities are considered great activities to learn important skills by employers and colleges.
Boy Scouts, Color Guard, ROTC groups, athletic teams.
They never directly said do this for Hitler. I found that interesting. They were never directly told to do something because Hitler said so either, if I remember correctly. Hitler is their leader and certainly receives threats or faces hardships. Yet, I feel like Hitler was creating these perfect German robots to build and protect his strength, power, and dominance over the world. He certainly was not getting beaten to the point of needing a doctor's appointment by his friends.
Part 2.
While watching the video, I couldn't stop thinking about how similar marching band is compared to the Hitler's Youth Program. We wear uniforms, march together, play together, and do almost everything together. We have section leaders, field captains, equipment managers, uniform managers, and drum majors all filled by young high school students. We are even supposed to knock bystanders down, or at least to the side, if they attempt to run in between our ranks. We say we are ONE band ONE sound. We completely rid ourselves of individuality, but that's an important part of being a marching band. We cannot have band members slumping around in whatever they want and expect respect or a positive image. It's very disturbing to realize the similarities, to realize how close good and evil are. Just a slight tweak and something important to learn and act upon is dangerous. It is strange and very clever because marching band and other similar activities are considered great activities to learn important skills by employers and colleges.
Boy Scouts, Color Guard, ROTC groups, athletic teams.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Exam Thoughts
Note that I've added a new category: EXAM THOUGHTS. Please use this to post your thoughts while preparing for the exam OR later while processing the exam experience after it's over. GOOD LUCK ON THE EXAM! HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY SEASON, WITH A MERRY CHRISTMAS ALONG WITH A WONDERFUL 2011!!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Heart of Darkness Quotes
"I did not betray Mr. Kurtz -- it was ordered I should never betray him -- it was written that I should be loyal to the nightmare of my choice." (81)
"I felt I was becoming scientifically interesting." (35)
"After all, I also was a part of the great cause of these high and just proceedings." (31).
"The snake had charmed me." (23)
"We live in the flicker -- may it last as long as the old earth keeps rolling! But darkness was here yesterday." (20)
"I felt I was becoming scientifically interesting." (35)
"After all, I also was a part of the great cause of these high and just proceedings." (31).
"The snake had charmed me." (23)
"We live in the flicker -- may it last as long as the old earth keeps rolling! But darkness was here yesterday." (20)
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Heart of Darkness Quotes
“He lived then before me; he lived as much as he had ever lived – a shadow insatiable of splendid appearances, of frightful realities; a shadow darker than the shadow of the night, and draped nobly in the fold s of a gorgeous eloquence” (Conrad 90)
“I shall see this eloquent phantom as long as I live, and I shall see her too, a tragic and familiar Shade, resembling in this gesture another one, tragic also, and bedecked with powerless charms, stretching bare brown arms over the glitter of the infernal stream, the stream of darkness." (93-94)
“I tell you…this man has enlarged my mind” (70)
“I could not tell her. It would have been too dark — too dark altogether…” (94)
“I saw on that ivory face the expression of sombre pride, of ruthless power, of craven terror-of an intense and hopeless despair. Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation, and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge?” (86)
“I shall see this eloquent phantom as long as I live, and I shall see her too, a tragic and familiar Shade, resembling in this gesture another one, tragic also, and bedecked with powerless charms, stretching bare brown arms over the glitter of the infernal stream, the stream of darkness." (93-94)
“I tell you…this man has enlarged my mind” (70)
“I could not tell her. It would have been too dark — too dark altogether…” (94)
“I saw on that ivory face the expression of sombre pride, of ruthless power, of craven terror-of an intense and hopeless despair. Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation, and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge?” (86)
Important quotes from Heart of Darkness
1. "There was nothing either above or below him, and I knew it. He had kicked himself loose of the earth. Confound the man! he had kicked the very earth to pieces. He was alone, and I before him did not know whether I stood on the ground or floated in the air." (83)
2. "The horror! The horror!" (86)
3. "I was within a hair's- breadth of the last opportunity for pronouncement, and I found with humiliation that probably I would have nothing to say." (87)
2. "The horror! The horror!" (86)
3. "I was within a hair's- breadth of the last opportunity for pronouncement, and I found with humiliation that probably I would have nothing to say." (87)
"His was an impenetrable darkness. I looked at him as you peer down at a man who is lying at the bottom of a precipice where the sun never shines." (86)
"I tried to break the spell of the wilderness--that seemed to draw him into its pitiless breat by the awakening of forgotten and brutal instincts, by the memory of gratified and monstrous passions. This alone, I was convinced, had driven him out to the edge of the forest, to the bush, towards the gleam of fires, the throb of drums, the drone of weird incantations; this alone had beguiled his unlawful soul beyond the bounds of permitted apirations" (83)
"his intelligence was perfectly clear...his soul was mad" (83)
"It seemed to me I had never breathed an atmosphere so vile, and I turned mentally to Kurtz for relief--positivey for relief. 'Nevertheless, I think Mr. Kurtz is a remarkable man,' I said with emphasis. He started, dropped on me a cold heavy glance, said very quietly, 'He was,' and turned his back on me. My hour of favour was over; I found myself lumped along Kurt as a partisan of methods for which the time was not ripe: I was unsound! Ah! but it was something to have at least a choice of nightmares." "I had turned myself to the wilderness really, not to Mr. Kurtz, who, I was ready to admit, was as good as buried." (79)
"The mind of man is capable of anything--because everything is in i, all the past as well as the future." (52)
"Going up that river was like travelling back to the earliest beginnings of the world, when vegitation rioted on the earth and the big trees were kings."(49)
"I tried to break the spell of the wilderness--that seemed to draw him into its pitiless breat by the awakening of forgotten and brutal instincts, by the memory of gratified and monstrous passions. This alone, I was convinced, had driven him out to the edge of the forest, to the bush, towards the gleam of fires, the throb of drums, the drone of weird incantations; this alone had beguiled his unlawful soul beyond the bounds of permitted apirations" (83)
"his intelligence was perfectly clear...his soul was mad" (83)
"It seemed to me I had never breathed an atmosphere so vile, and I turned mentally to Kurtz for relief--positivey for relief. 'Nevertheless, I think Mr. Kurtz is a remarkable man,' I said with emphasis. He started, dropped on me a cold heavy glance, said very quietly, 'He was,' and turned his back on me. My hour of favour was over; I found myself lumped along Kurt as a partisan of methods for which the time was not ripe: I was unsound! Ah! but it was something to have at least a choice of nightmares." "I had turned myself to the wilderness really, not to Mr. Kurtz, who, I was ready to admit, was as good as buried." (79)
"The mind of man is capable of anything--because everything is in i, all the past as well as the future." (52)
"Going up that river was like travelling back to the earliest beginnings of the world, when vegitation rioted on the earth and the big trees were kings."(49)
favorite quotes from Heart of Darkness
1. The Earth seemed unearthly. We are accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster, but there - there you could look upon a thing monstrous and free. 91
2. "who was not his friend who heard him speak once?" she was saying. "He drew men towards him by what was best in them." She looked at me with intensity. "It is the gift of the great" 147
3. Yes; I looked at them as you would on any human being, with a curiosity of their impulses, motives, capabilities, weaknesses, when brought to the test of an inexorable physical necessity. Restraint! What possible restraint? ... No fear can stand up to hunger, no patience can wear it out, disgust simply does not exist where hunger is 99
4. I don't like work - no man does - but I like what is in the work,- the chance to find yourself. Your own reality - for yourself, not others - what no other man can ever know. They can only see the mere show, and never can tell what it means. 80
2. "who was not his friend who heard him speak once?" she was saying. "He drew men towards him by what was best in them." She looked at me with intensity. "It is the gift of the great" 147
3. Yes; I looked at them as you would on any human being, with a curiosity of their impulses, motives, capabilities, weaknesses, when brought to the test of an inexorable physical necessity. Restraint! What possible restraint? ... No fear can stand up to hunger, no patience can wear it out, disgust simply does not exist where hunger is 99
4. I don't like work - no man does - but I like what is in the work,- the chance to find yourself. Your own reality - for yourself, not others - what no other man can ever know. They can only see the mere show, and never can tell what it means. 80
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Heart of Darkness Quotes
So, last Friday on my assignments notebook I wrote down "Blog. Quotes for heart of darkness." and Im not exactly sure if I meant to blog about quotes from Heart of Darkness or Blog and start looking up critical quotes for Heart of Darkness so I figure Ill just stick with option #1...
Near the end when Marlowe is in the innerstation he reflects that "it was something to have atleast a choice of nightmares"(Conrad 79). This quote, which is a very direct parellel to what the main army guy in Apocolypse Now says, strikes me as being an almost central theme of the novel. When stated, Marlowe means the nightmares to be following the manager's ways or following the ways of Kurtz. But I think that one can even broaden that more and describe the two nightmares as the savage Congo and the civilized England. From the beginning, the reader is faced with the comparison of England and the Congo. As Marlowe travels deeper into the Congo, he travels deeper into what he calls the heart of darkness, and then at the end of the novel they find themselves back on the riverboat on the Thames river heading back to port in England and he describes their path as "seem[ing] to lead into the heart of an immense darkness"(Conrad 95). So he's pretty much saying that the Congo is darkness and England is darkness and wherever you go, you just can't win. Choosing between which country you want to live in, in this case, is much like choosing between two dark nightmares. It seems that Marlowe is saying that all of life is a nightmare and survival all boils down to choosing which one to live through and sticking to that decision-- pretty depressing if you ask me.
One last thing I wanted to point out was that when Marlowe is talking to Kurtz's widower, he lies about Kurtz's final words. The widower remembers Kurtz as how he was before he realized the darkness of the world which drives him to do treacherous deeds. Instead of telling the widower that Kurtz's final words were "The horror! The horror!"(Conrad 94), he tells her that "[t]he last word he pronounced was- your name"(Conrad 94). I found this very interesting that he made up such a lie because it was he who earlier says "I hate, detest, and can't bear a lie"(Conrad 42). He sacrifices his moral affinity not to lie so that he may leave the widower's memory of Kurtz untainted by the effects of the jungle.
Near the end when Marlowe is in the innerstation he reflects that "it was something to have atleast a choice of nightmares"(Conrad 79). This quote, which is a very direct parellel to what the main army guy in Apocolypse Now says, strikes me as being an almost central theme of the novel. When stated, Marlowe means the nightmares to be following the manager's ways or following the ways of Kurtz. But I think that one can even broaden that more and describe the two nightmares as the savage Congo and the civilized England. From the beginning, the reader is faced with the comparison of England and the Congo. As Marlowe travels deeper into the Congo, he travels deeper into what he calls the heart of darkness, and then at the end of the novel they find themselves back on the riverboat on the Thames river heading back to port in England and he describes their path as "seem[ing] to lead into the heart of an immense darkness"(Conrad 95). So he's pretty much saying that the Congo is darkness and England is darkness and wherever you go, you just can't win. Choosing between which country you want to live in, in this case, is much like choosing between two dark nightmares. It seems that Marlowe is saying that all of life is a nightmare and survival all boils down to choosing which one to live through and sticking to that decision-- pretty depressing if you ask me.
One last thing I wanted to point out was that when Marlowe is talking to Kurtz's widower, he lies about Kurtz's final words. The widower remembers Kurtz as how he was before he realized the darkness of the world which drives him to do treacherous deeds. Instead of telling the widower that Kurtz's final words were "The horror! The horror!"(Conrad 94), he tells her that "[t]he last word he pronounced was- your name"(Conrad 94). I found this very interesting that he made up such a lie because it was he who earlier says "I hate, detest, and can't bear a lie"(Conrad 42). He sacrifices his moral affinity not to lie so that he may leave the widower's memory of Kurtz untainted by the effects of the jungle.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Vassey's Favorite Dark Quotes
1) "The offing was barred by a black band of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed sombre under an overcast sky - seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness"(Conrad 117).
2) "It is strange how I accepted this unforeseen partnership, this choice of nightmares forced upon me in the tenebrous land invaded by these mean and greed phantoms"(Conrad 102-3).
3) everything belonged to him. It made me hold my breath in expectation of hearing the wilderness burst into prodigious peal of laughter that would shake the fixed stars in their places.... The thing was to know what he belonged to, how many powers of darkness claimed him for their own. That was the reflection that made you creepy all over" (Conrad 73).
4) "And this stillness of life did not in the least resemble a peace. It was the stillness of an implacable force brooding over an inscrutable intention"(Conrad 50).
2) "It is strange how I accepted this unforeseen partnership, this choice of nightmares forced upon me in the tenebrous land invaded by these mean and greed phantoms"(Conrad 102-3).
3) everything belonged to him. It made me hold my breath in expectation of hearing the wilderness burst into prodigious peal of laughter that would shake the fixed stars in their places.... The thing was to know what he belonged to, how many powers of darkness claimed him for their own. That was the reflection that made you creepy all over" (Conrad 73).
4) "And this stillness of life did not in the least resemble a peace. It was the stillness of an implacable force brooding over an inscrutable intention"(Conrad 50).
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Reading Assignment 1
" 'The other day I took up a man who hanged himself on the road. He was a Swede, too.' 'Hanged himself! Why, in God's name?' I cried. He kept onlooking out watchfully. 'Who knows? The sun too much for him, or the country perhaps.'
In both Apocalypse Now & Heart of Darkness, there is an underlining theme of self-destruction. What is the cause of this? At what point does the mind break? Are these individuals looked over? Below I posted a link to CNN; it discusses the alarming rate of American Soldiers suicides.
Article
In both Apocalypse Now & Heart of Darkness, there is an underlining theme of self-destruction. What is the cause of this? At what point does the mind break? Are these individuals looked over? Below I posted a link to CNN; it discusses the alarming rate of American Soldiers suicides.
Article
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Reading Assignment 1
I am extremely interested in the women in the Sea trade office and their significance.
"Two women, one fat and the other slim, sat on straw-bottomed chairs, knitting black wool." (Conrad 24)
"Often far away there I though of these two, guarding the door of Darkness, knitting black wool as for a warm pall, one introducing, introducing continuously to the unknown, the scrutinising the cheery and foolish faces with unconcerned old eyes. Ave! Old knitter of black wool. Morituri te saluntant."
I believe that these women are a mythological allusion; they are the Greek Fates. They weave a dark cloth the way the fates weaved the futures of the humans. The cloth of the Fates foretells the future of the individual; and the cloth color of the women's is Black with foreshadows the fates of all who enter the office and sign up for this venture into the jungle.
"Two women, one fat and the other slim, sat on straw-bottomed chairs, knitting black wool." (Conrad 24)
"Often far away there I though of these two, guarding the door of Darkness, knitting black wool as for a warm pall, one introducing, introducing continuously to the unknown, the scrutinising the cheery and foolish faces with unconcerned old eyes. Ave! Old knitter of black wool. Morituri te saluntant."
I believe that these women are a mythological allusion; they are the Greek Fates. They weave a dark cloth the way the fates weaved the futures of the humans. The cloth of the Fates foretells the future of the individual; and the cloth color of the women's is Black with foreshadows the fates of all who enter the office and sign up for this venture into the jungle.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Ani DiFranco Quote
"I did not design this game; I did not name the stakes. I just happen to like apples; and I am not afraid of snakes."
— Ani DiFranco
— Ani DiFranco
Friday, November 12, 2010
Heart of Darkness
Evil Students, as you begin reading Conrad's novel and as we begin viewing Apocalypse Now, I look forward to your posting your responses and questions. Please remember to place them under the "category" of Heart of Darkness.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Satan and Eve
Satan seeks to turn Eve by convincing her that by eating the apple, her life will be better much like how the snake's life was supposedly improved by eating the apple. He goes on to say that God would want her to eat the apple and live a better life and he would praise her for being brave enough to do so. Satan makes it sound like God put the tree of knowledge into Eden as some sort of test for man to see if they are brave enough to risk death to attain a happier life. Then Satan says that by eating the apple Eve will attain a knowledge of good and evil which she can use to avoid evil. One main point of religion is faith and submission to God, which is why Satan uses the opposite of blind faith, logic, to convince Eve to turn her back on God.
Loss of Restraint
As Eve justifies to herself eating the apple, she fights against her pure hunger for the fruit which bears the knowledge of good and evil. The one thing of which God has not satiated. She and Adam were told to restrain from this one thing, and they do a good job for awhile. But Eve's appetite soon overcomes her and she tastes of the fruit anyway. After having a taste, her hunger grows ten fold and she continues to eat and eat without any restraint. Eve, upon turning to the dark side, has lost all sense of restraint. The unknowing prey to the wills of the Devil has turned villainous herself, but a bad villain at that. For Machaievelli describes a true villain as having restraint, but she has none. The turned villlains who are prey to the Mephostitillain characters always seem to be terrible in their villainry.
Satan's temptation
satan tempts eve with comments of flattery which she resists thenhe movs to more theological attempts explainingthat if she eats the fruit she will "die" in the sense of becoming divine with the attainment of knowledge ass he the snake became human by eating the fruit and by attaining knowwledge she would know hoow to be good and how to avoid evil which eve simply repeats in her justification which shows eve to be easily manipulatible
Satan Tempts Eve
The serpent's persuasion is very traditional. Praise the subject and entice them. But Eve is completely oblivious to his comments that "all that fair and good in thy Divine/ Semblance" (606-7). He constantly addresses her as "the sovran mistress" and "resplendent Eve" (532 and 568). To the reader all this praise appears to be useless on Eve because she gives no hint to being flattered by Satan's words, but Milton mentions "Into the Heart of Eve his words made way" (550). Milton emphasizes this fact by his punctuation and italics in this quote. However on the surface Eve is amazed with his ability to speak. Satan's story is flawed. He was the ONLY one that could climb the tree and eat the fruit? What about the birds, the giraffes, the fallen fruit? Eve is just a complete novice in this world if she didn't think about these possibilities. Satan plays an excellent game though because the fruit apparently just made him think of Eve. How romantic!
Milton mentions that the serpent made the "intricate [path] seem strait" (632). This line obviously not only talks about Satan physically guiding Eve to the Tree of Knowledge, but also making his point obvious and easy to accept in Eve's mind. This resembles the persuasions of Screwtape this summer. They always wanted to make their twisted and sinful ways seem like the road straight to heaven. Go to church but do it because a woman is there. I really liked Milton's simile here to the flames in the Dead Marsh in The Lord of the Rings. It is the same idea that if you follow the wrong light during the night, the traveler will end up at the wrong place.
Milton mentions that the serpent made the "intricate [path] seem strait" (632). This line obviously not only talks about Satan physically guiding Eve to the Tree of Knowledge, but also making his point obvious and easy to accept in Eve's mind. This resembles the persuasions of Screwtape this summer. They always wanted to make their twisted and sinful ways seem like the road straight to heaven. Go to church but do it because a woman is there. I really liked Milton's simile here to the flames in the Dead Marsh in The Lord of the Rings. It is the same idea that if you follow the wrong light during the night, the traveler will end up at the wrong place.
Woman's Inferiority in Paradise Lost
I am pretty sure no guy can make a comment without getting slapped in this topic. This opinion that Milton seems to propose that woman are inferior to men probably comes from the scripture that says Eve was created from the dust of Adam. From this point forward in literature, the point is developed in many different situations .
Reading 9
I can't help but notice that Adam seems like he knows everything in this reading. I'm not trying to be a feminist, but he certainly seems superior to Eve in knowledge and power. He also knows a lot more about life than I would have thought. Lines 610-around 633 when he is talking about God's purpose for them, Adam seems to know why they are there and what they are supposed to do which surprises me. I thought him and Eve would have been equally clueless as to why they exist and what they are supposed to do.
Rding 10 Milton's descriptions of Eve vs. Adam
In this reading, Satan is waiting for his prey in the garden. He hopes to find Eve alone instead of with Adam. Eve is among the flowers. Milton describes her as "though fairest unsupported Flour" (IX. 432). To me, it seems as though Eve is beautiful like a flower, but drooping or not strong enough to think and defend herself. Later, Satan thinks or says, "The Woman, opportune to all attempts,/ Her Husband, for I view far round, not nigh,/ Whose higher intellectual more I shun,/ And strength, of courage hautie, ..." (IV. 481-4). Here, Milton seems to believe that men are a step or several steps above women in strength, knowledge, and instinct. A woman tends to be more gullible and willing to do whatever anyone tells her. Thus making Eve the more attractive prey or fawn to tempt.
Rding 8 Where is Hell?
In this reading Satan is talking about why he felt the need to overthrow God in Heaven. He goes on explaining how miserable he is where ever he flies. "Which way I flie is Hell; my self am Hell" (IV. 75.). This reminds me of the idea that Hell is everywhere an archangel goes because Hell is in the mind.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Jealous?
Satan finally makes it to the Garden and upon witnessing it feels sad. He doesn't seem to like the fact that Humans were given a Heaven on Earth, and in vengeance seeks to cast them out of it. I think that Satan feels jealous of the first humans. For one, they have access to Paradise, while he's stuck in the Pit. Also, God made them in his own likeness, which means they must be more beautiful than Satan himself. Furthermore, I think he's jealous of their weakness and stupidity. Satan's already lamented being a spirit with power- he partially believes that the rebellion was due to his own power. Furthermore, he wants to feed the humans fruit from the tree of knowledge. It's assumed right now that the humans are stupid; they do not have knowledge of either right or wrong. Without that knowledge, they cant have free will. They can't choose between good and evil because they don't have any idea of what good or evil is. Satan's problem is that he was given the choice between rebelling and keeping the peace, and he chose wrongly. Because the humans don't have choice, Satan must be jealous that they can do no wrong and is thus dedicated to bringing them down. Ultimately, by making humans eat of the fruit of knowledge, it seems to be Satan, not God, who gave humans free will. He's pretty much a twisted version of Prometheus from mythology; his gift didn't make humans better off, it damned them.
Descriptions of Eden
Next Satan finds the Garden of Eden and is described as jumping over the wall as a thief might. He lands on the tallest tree, the Tree of Life, where he ironically starts to plan how to kill all the humans. Right next to the Tree of Life grew the Tree of Knowledge which is called our death because when mankind learned about good they also learned of evil, a grave cost. Milton seems to support the old saying "Ignorance is bliss" because he is saying that any knowledge is bad since it results in the knowledge of evil.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Satan's thoughts
In book four Satan talks about how the sun reminds him of Heaven and then seems to express regret for his rebellion against God saying that praising God was the easiest way to repay his gratitude. However, his ambition to want to become the highest caused him to only repay God in malice which then led to his downfall. Also Satan confesses that God is invincible "Till Pride and worse Ambition threw me down/ Warring in Heav'n against Heav'ns matchless King" (4:40-41). Satan claims that even if he was to submit to God and return to Heaven, he would soon rebel against God again because of his ambition; however, after this time, Satan claims that he would fall to a different Hell that is even lower and worse than the one he is currently in which I find interesting. Satan also calls himself Hell which can bring up many questions concerning if God is omnipresent and if Hell is just made by our minds. At the end of the speech, however, is a particularly intersting part because Satan dismisses (says farewell) to all good and fully adopts evil just like Othello did.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Reading 8
Satan says that even if he does repent and return to heaven he will just end up rebelling again because of his ambition. Satan blames his discontent on his rank in heaven. He says that had he been a lesser angel he would have been happy but because he was second only to God all he could think about was how close he was to being the top dog. This reminds me of how after the olympics, bronze medalists are on average happier than silver medalists because they can be happy about just getting a medal while the silver medalists dwell on how if they had just been a little better they would have won gold.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Hanky-Pankage
This is my attempt at tracking the logic.
Satan --------> created a being that is a physical representation of his mind.
Sin-----------> Could Sin be Satan's Portrait; Since he still sees himself as a being of heaven (a being of beauty and light), could his
Satan --------> created a being that is a physical representation of his mind.
This form was extremely beautiful while in heaven but once sent to hell became a victim to her own circumstance.
Sin-----------> Could Sin be Satan's Portrait; Since he still sees himself as a being of heaven (a being of beauty and light), could his
glimpse at Sin serve as his insight into the magnitude of the situation. (Obviously he doesn't see it this way, but I do)
Would Sin have stayed beautiful if Satan hadn't rebelled? Would their offspring be less hideous? What happen to "sins of the father not of the son" ?
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Hanky-Pankage
Satan has a very interesting set of family members. From my interpretation, Sin was born of Satan's mind which makes sense. The best part is that Sin came from Satan's mind and is technically not one of God's creations, merely a by-product. Sin is Satan's Idea and child. Even more interesting, Death itself is born from Satan and Sin. The bible says that Sin and Death came into the world after Adam and Eve ate the apple, but it never says from where they originally came from. On top of that, Death and Sin create monsters together, so Milton tries to say that Satan, Sin, and Death created everything evil and terrible in the world.
Worshipping Satan?
While I was reading about Satan’s daughter, Sin, it feels as if she is suffering much more than Satan and she is in Hell because of his war. She was punished to be the key holder of the gates of Hell for her father’s crime. She was raped twice and then forced to live with “…These yelling Monsters that with ceaseless cry/Surround me…hourly conceiv’d/ And hourly born, with sorrow infinite…”(Book II, Lines 794-796). It seems as if everyone’s suffering is due to Satan’s idea for war and yet they are all praising him as if he is their savior. Even though Sin has suffered throughout her time in Hell, she believes , [Satan] wilt bring [her] soon/ To that new world of light and bliss, among/ The Gods who live a life of ease…(Book II, Line 866-868). She immediately trusts his plan though she has suffered because of him.
Reading 7
As I was reading through this assignment, I noticed the elaborate series of gates that were meant to restrict Satan and his minions from passage into the heavens. Milton explains that three of the nine gates are made of adamantine, an indestructible metal created by God, and each one is guarded by varied demonic conjurations. To me, this does not make sense. Why bother guarding something that can not be passed through or destroyed in the first place and is there really a need for the other eight gates? Could God have simply created them for emphasis, or are the gates a series of tests that Satan and his demonic horde must conquer before God can feel they are worthy of his attention?
Echoes of Satan's Speech
In our fourth reading assignment, Satan gives this heroic speech about the battle they have lost, and how god is at fault for not showing his full power. The interesting line though was when Satan says "So as neither to provoke, or dread/ New warr, provok't..."(645-646). These lines are echoed by the speeches of Moloch and Belial later. Moloch is all for the next war while Belial prefers not doing anything else to provoke God. Milton must have forgottent to turn the page, or maybe this is an imitation of group dynamics. After Satan's great speech, each demon tries to gain the respect of his peers by pulling parts of the fame.
Even Beelzebub's idea to begin tempting the humans is echoed in the lines following.
Even Beelzebub's idea to begin tempting the humans is echoed in the lines following.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Reading 5 Satan = corrupt politicians?
I cannot help but think of Satan as a politician fighting to win the most praise, honor, glory, and respect from all the angels imprisoned by God in order to keep his reign. After the speeches by the top angels, Satan rises to take the challenge to find Earth and start corrupting human kind for everyone's benefit in Hell against God. Satan says that he should take on the travel full of misery because he is the highest in rank and with rank comes more responcibility. So, that makes sense. But then he tells his followers to "Go therfore mighty powers,/ Terror of Heav'n, though fall'n; intend at home,/ While here shall be our home, what best may ease/ The present misery, and render Hell/ More tollerable...While I abroad/ Through all the coasts of dark destruction seek/ Deliverance for us all..." (II.457-467). Basically, everyone chill and find out ways to ease your pain while Satan suffers terribley for you and our goals to seek revenge on God is what he's saying. By putting all of the hardship on himself, a ONE MAN JOB, the angels in Hell cannot help him and feel the need to praise him. Satan wins. I bet Moloch, Baliel, Mammon, and Beez are rolling their eyes and wishing they stood up to the challenge first like someone else mentioned. I noticed also that Satan still referes to everyone in Hell as princes of heaven. "Oh Progeny of Heav'n, Empyreal Thrones" (II.430). Even though Beezlebub just spoke about why they should find a different name, Satan still calls his "friends" his "peers" worthy of heaven or greatness. Satan is only appealing to everyone well beneath him (not so much Beezlebub, Moloch, Beliel, or Mammon) in order to be "re-elected".
Looking Back and epic Hero Satan
One thing that I noticed when looking back over the readings that I had skipped over previously is that Satan does not claim to be the creator of Hell when he first arrives "and thou profoundest Hell/ Rceive they new Possessor" (1:251-252). This explains how God is still omnipotent even though Satan "creates" Hell: God had already made Hell. But then why would God make a Hell if there had been no reason before? The answer to this could justfy how God is still all-knowing even though Satan "betrayed" him: God already knew that Satan would betray him and created Hell, a place of torture, in preparation for Satan's "betrayal". Then in our current reading I noticed that Satan is described similarly to an epic hero. Satan will endure the pain and hardships of being the king of Hell for the other demons, and he offers to go out and find man fr the other demons. Satan stands courageous while defying God and never backs down like an epic hero.
Reading 5
Lines 430-468, Satan pretty much appoints himself as the savior of Hell by telling all the fallen angels that he will take the task of escaping hell and messing with God's creation. I think its kind of funny actually- Satan lost the limelight because everyone else was focused on Mammon, so to get it back he starts talking as if he will be the savior of Hell by escaping it. I still think the other demons are annoyed with Satan, so when he proclaims himself the hero, everyone else is probably rolling their eyes. Moloch seems to be the strongest one, and Belial definitely seems to be the wiliest one, so where does Satan fit? So far, I get the impression that he's pretty stupid and that he wants to prove himself, given the other smarter and stronger demons. He really does seem to be all talk; he reminds me of Roderigo.
Reading 5
It is interesting how at lines 482 -484, Milton stops narrating and tells the listener that even the Devil has some virtues. He addresses the reader again at lines 485- 505 and admonishes mankind for fighting amongst itself even though God tells them to live in peace.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Reading 5- Demon Council
In the demon council, Satan speaks first, saying that their loss makes them stronger and will make their victory that much more satisfying. He says that they have to unite against God and invites his followers to speak their opinions. Moloch speaks first, promoting full-force immediate attack on God and Heaven. His words and argument are made forceful and less appealing because of his uncontrollable and self-consuming hatred towards God and his inclination for brute force. Belial speaks next. He argues for no war at all but waiting in Hell. He says that they will get to used to the fires of Hell and will prefer them over the wrath of God. He basically says that they are lucky that their punishment was not more severe. Belial's argument seems more reasonable and appealing than Moloch's because of his eloquent speech, but is unsatisfying because of his laziness and lack of motivation for anything. Mammon speaks last and has the most persuasive and logical argument. He seems almost more motivated and moving than Satan because of the strength and steadfastness of his position. Unlike Satan, he does not change his mind or switch opinions in order to manipulate the other demons. He simply says what he believes, so one might even say he's more driven and more powerful than Satan.
Reading 4
In this section, Satan is replying to Beelzebub's uncertainty and concern with their decision to revolt against God. I found Satan's logic very contradictory and almost amusing. He talks about how all the demons must decide on how best to take over Heaven and overthrow God. But then he says how Hell is better than Heaven because they cannot sink any lower and do not have to live under the control of God. He also reminds me of Iago how he changes his opinions and makes his "friends" believe certain things. He says that they should vote on whether they should fight head on or fight through tricks and deception then says that deception is definitely the right choice. But he does it in such a sneaky way that makes his followers almost think that the idea was their own.
Reading 5-- The Minions
So we discussed in class how Moloch represents wrath and wants all out war, and how Belial represents sloth and wants to just sit in hell and do nothing with life... so I found Mammon to be more prideful than anything else, preferring making the best out of hell to living in heaven with the God they all hate. I found this interesting because he seems to reiterate what the Devil earlier says about how it's better to rein in hell then serve in heaven and where he says that one can make a heaven out of hell and a hell out of heaven. Mammon simply reinforces these ideas that the Devil has already expressed to the reader.
On a similar note, I had high expectations for Mammon that were not fulfilled. I thought he would be the one to form a compromise between Moloch and Belial and propose not to engage in full out warfare nor to do nothing, but to go out in search of the humans and use them as indirect targets to wound God. His proposition, though, seemed more to be weak and simply agree with Belial's in saying that they should just stay in hell. Disappointing, Mammon... very disappointing.
On a similar note, I had high expectations for Mammon that were not fulfilled. I thought he would be the one to form a compromise between Moloch and Belial and propose not to engage in full out warfare nor to do nothing, but to go out in search of the humans and use them as indirect targets to wound God. His proposition, though, seemed more to be weak and simply agree with Belial's in saying that they should just stay in hell. Disappointing, Mammon... very disappointing.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Satan-Heroic?
In the reading, we see that Satan has not given up the battle with God, here Satan exemplifies the motive that has been rooted in our heads: always pick yourself up when you fall down. For Satan, he has fallen down hard, to the pits of Hell, and God is against him yet he has not lost his motivation to regain his power. In fact, he is optimistic about getting revenge on God. He even brags “What though the field be lost?/ All is not lost; the unconquerable Will, / And study of revenge, immortal hate,/ And courage never to submit or yield:” (Book I, Lines 105-108). This can be confusing for readers as we are so inclined to root for Satan to ‘pick himself back up’ but we have also been taught that Satan is the root of all evil.
Reading 3
Lines 215-219, "while he sought/ Evil to others, and enrag'd might see/ How all his malice serv'd but to bring forth/ Infinite goodness, grace and mercy shewn/ On Man...". Is Milton saying that Satan's evil is necessary for the definition of good? Can anyone describe good as anything more than the absence of evil? I mean, if there was no concept of evil, there would be no way to understand what "good" is because what would be "good" would be the norm.
Also...
In Dante's Inferno, the ninth and final circle of Hell is reserved for the treacherous. Satan is imprisoned in the very center, but the description of Satan and Hell in Inferno and in Paradise lost are completely different. Dante describes Hell as an icy wasteland with a lake of ice, and claims that Satan is encased in ice, weeping for eternity in anger and regret. Milton probably used Inferno as inspiration, but the way Satan is in Paradise Lost is the complete opposite of the way he is portrayed in Dante's Inferno. Furthermore, I feel as if Milton referenced all the epic poets except for Dante. Is this only because of the Puritan/Catholic split?
Also...
In Dante's Inferno, the ninth and final circle of Hell is reserved for the treacherous. Satan is imprisoned in the very center, but the description of Satan and Hell in Inferno and in Paradise lost are completely different. Dante describes Hell as an icy wasteland with a lake of ice, and claims that Satan is encased in ice, weeping for eternity in anger and regret. Milton probably used Inferno as inspiration, but the way Satan is in Paradise Lost is the complete opposite of the way he is portrayed in Dante's Inferno. Furthermore, I feel as if Milton referenced all the epic poets except for Dante. Is this only because of the Puritan/Catholic split?
Reading 3
As I was reading through the text I noticed that Milton says that Satan was floating on the lake of fire. Is this an ability of all demons and heavenly beings, or is there a strange commonality between Satan and Jesus, who is also known for walking on water?
From Coach Crook to Evil Students:
I'm really enjoying the posts and comments! Hope we can bring some of them to our class discussion. I also want us in class to look carefully at the text. Y'all are doing a great job of first readings, but everything we read should be re-read, I think you'll agree. When you get the chance, be sure to read through the comments your fellow students are making. I'm trying to read all post and all comments, though I might not comment on everything. Thanks, Evil Ones!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Reading 3
Did Satan and Beezlebub leave Hell? I don't understand how they can just leave.
Also, Satan reminds me of Iago when he talks about how "If then his Providence/ Out of our evil seek to bring forth good,/ Our labor must be to pervert that end,/ And out of good still to find means of evil" (book 1 lines 162-165) because he is so devoted to creating evil and messing with God even if God tries to make them good. He sounds very schemey and devious when he talks about getting revenge on God. Milton also uses a lot of ocean imagery in this section, but I'm not quite sure why. I think it is to comment on the size or power of satan? Maybe?
Also, Satan reminds me of Iago when he talks about how "If then his Providence/ Out of our evil seek to bring forth good,/ Our labor must be to pervert that end,/ And out of good still to find means of evil" (book 1 lines 162-165) because he is so devoted to creating evil and messing with God even if God tries to make them good. He sounds very schemey and devious when he talks about getting revenge on God. Milton also uses a lot of ocean imagery in this section, but I'm not quite sure why. I think it is to comment on the size or power of satan? Maybe?
From the Eyes of the Enemy
Going back to the second reading, Satan's soldier or comrade says in lines 134-139, "Too well I see and rue the dire event, that with sad overthrow and foul defeat hath lost us Heaven, and all this mighty Host in horrible destruction laid thus low, as far as Gods and Heavenly Essences can perish." This just reminded me of the quote from Dr. Faustus by Mephistopheles. He says that he never leaves Hell because he has seen and lost the wonders of Heaven and the glory of God. Satan's soldier is saying that their fall is so much greater because of where they have fallen from. In the third reading section, Satan basically says that all his actions are based on the sole purpose of hurting God. In lines 159-162 he even says, "To do good never will be our task, but ever to do ill our sole delight, as being contrary to his high will whom we resist." He is evil and acts evilly just to get revenge on God. He also says in lines 165-168, "And out of good still to find means of evil; which oft times may succeed, so as perhaps shall grieve him, if I fail not, and disturb his inmost counsels from their destined aim." Satan is confessing that his motive for malignity is purely being evil for the sake of being evil and being evil for the sake of being the opposite of good.
Reading 3
The thing that strikes me most in this particular reading is the extended simile likening Satan to Leviathan. Leviathan is a sea-monster so huge that sailors mistake it for an island and attempt to anchor on it. In doing so, they chain themselves to a huge sea beast and are dragged around the ocean as a result. Now I think there are at least three ways to interpret his simile. The first is the idea that Satan is the sailor and Leviathan is hate, meaning Satan is losing himself to his hate. This makes the most sense to me because the poem says "high permission of all-ruling Heaven/Left him at large to his own dark designs" ( 212-213). The next interpretation is that Satan is Leviathan and Hell is the sailor, which means that Satan is dragging Hell around, turning it in a new direction under his guidance. My last interpretation is something more implied, that Man is the sailor and Satan/Evil is Leviathan. Honestly, i misread the passage the first time, but since this meaning made LOTS of symbolic sense I decided to stick with it. Suppose humanity represents the sailors, who happen to be lost at sea. They see an island, and upon finally seeing land they are absolutely happy, and decide to anchor on it. Now, they know nothing about the true nature of the island, but they're attracted to it because it seems so much better than being hopelessly lost at sea. When the "island" finally starts moving, they realize their mistakes and are either even more lost or dead. Since Satan/evil is Leviathan in this instance, Milton could be saying that people often "anchor" on evil, because they are lost and see nothing more attractive at the time. Only after Satan/evil reveals itself do people realize that they are even more lost or are damned.
Satan's actions - Screwtape
Lines around 210 through 220 describe Satan's actions meant to hurt people ending up good, light, or in order instead of towards disorder. Milton says "while he sought Evil to others, and enrag'd might see How all his malice serv'd but to bring forth Infinite goodness, grace and mercy shewn On Man by him seduc't, but on himself Treble confusion, wrath and vengeance pour'd." This reminds me of Screwtape Letters because wormwood's "patient" goes to church, becomes friends with religious people, prays, or does something for God after wormwood tried to negatively influence him. Screwtape advises wormwood several times and later finds out that the patient reacted by praising God in someway. The slight difference between praying towards god versus an idol constantly gets wormwood into trouble or danger of losing his patient. I guess I'm trying to say that evil is defeated often and enraged as a result. Also, the margin by which evil loses is very small from slightly changing an action or thought. Satan tries to negatively influence humans, but often finds that he does good. This must be frustrating if you want to do everything that is not good. God seems to clearly by the ultimate god and creator. Does this make sense?
Volcanic Explosion
When I was reading the description of Satan rising from the sea of fire, I did not see the volcano imagery at all in lines 220-237. However after reading it a second time, Milton uses words corresponding with eruptions as the "land that ever burn'd with solid" and "whose combustible and fewel'd entrals thence conceiving Fired sublinm'd with Mineral fury." Milton's punctuation here is interesting because he capitalizes Fire and Mineral. Why?
Another interesting part in the third reading was lines 212-218 where Milton imposes god's ever present power in the middle of all this evil. It's almost like a side thought and an interjection. While Milton was getting so fired up about hell, he had to remember his original intent to justify the way's of god to man. Milton explains that Satan was allowed to rise up from the fiery sea only because god allowed him. For what reasons? Milton says that god hopes to see after Satan is left to his own evil design to bring evil onto man, Satan will eventually see all the "Treble confusion, wrath and vengeance pour'd." So far from our reading, I don't think this transformation is going to happen anytime soon. God might just be wrong. At this point, Satan is all about fighting god with vigor. Satan just got the knockout punch, but he gets right back up with his army of feigns and says "let's make some hell."
Another interesting part in the third reading was lines 212-218 where Milton imposes god's ever present power in the middle of all this evil. It's almost like a side thought and an interjection. While Milton was getting so fired up about hell, he had to remember his original intent to justify the way's of god to man. Milton explains that Satan was allowed to rise up from the fiery sea only because god allowed him. For what reasons? Milton says that god hopes to see after Satan is left to his own evil design to bring evil onto man, Satan will eventually see all the "Treble confusion, wrath and vengeance pour'd." So far from our reading, I don't think this transformation is going to happen anytime soon. God might just be wrong. At this point, Satan is all about fighting god with vigor. Satan just got the knockout punch, but he gets right back up with his army of feigns and says "let's make some hell."
Names of Satan
So far in the reading, we have seen Satan called the fallen angel/ apostate angel, and arch fiend. The latter name makes me think of the arch duke or the arch bishop. It merely shows his powerful position over all the other fiends.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Reading 2
As I was reading, Milton begins to explain the positions that all of the fallen angels have taken up: pagan gods of the ancient world. They are worshiped by men even though they have been kicked out of heaven. They are even more esteemed now than before because now they are the gods. It is almost as if Milton is trying to say that the earthly world is hell, that what we are living right now is hell. I am not sure if this is correct but it reminded me of out discussion in class and how Mr. Crook asked if there is any way to beat somebody who is willing to take down the boat with them. By taking the Earth and humans, have Satan and his followers won even though they didn't win?
Reading 2
How many angels have fallen? Did they leave with Satan? Who is he addressing? Who exactly is Beelzebub?
Milton uses the term, "Arch-Fiend"; does that mean that Satan is not the hero?
Milton uses the term, "Arch-Fiend"; does that mean that Satan is not the hero?
God's intentions with fallen angels (rd 2)
(good and evil) The fallen angel from lines 143-157 wonders why God let the them, the rebels in punishment, keep their minds and spirit. He mentions how miserable he is because he can remember the pleasures and happiness of heaven in contrast to his new world. In a way he is questioning the "goodness" of God. If God is good and forgiving, why does he send Satan and his followers out of heaven with out a chance to ever return? Or does God even send them to Hell like Milton says? I keep thinking of Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. Lord Voldemort constantly tells Wormtail that he is only loyal to him through fear. Would it be arguable to say that angels in heaven and men may follow God and worship him out of fear of hell and God's power to put them there (if he even does so)? Is this why the bible, Jesus, and God's messengers say "Do not be afraid" before they speak of God's plans? Since God is omnicient, he would have anticipated Satan and his followers starting an unending war, and let it happen knowing that the fallen agnels would serve as examples of those who turned against God or disobeyed him. (A possible strategy of God's.)
(Problem) However, did God actaully create and place satan into the underworld? If heaven is such a rightous, happy, and suitable place, how could a conflict or desire to turn against God could not possibly occur? I do not remember the bible containing any statements of a war or conflict in heaven either. Rather, Satan is described as simply wanting to turn away from God. If your happy, why would you want to turn away? The stories that I have learned from my parents, church, and Paradise Lost are starting to conflict with each other. I'm rather confused about how a rebel against God came to be. I think this paragraph connects with a previous entry about the accuracy of the events that are in the Bible. Anyone can walk home and tell a story about speaking with God, but how many would do so and then publish volumes of their experience?
(Problem) However, did God actaully create and place satan into the underworld? If heaven is such a rightous, happy, and suitable place, how could a conflict or desire to turn against God could not possibly occur? I do not remember the bible containing any statements of a war or conflict in heaven either. Rather, Satan is described as simply wanting to turn away from God. If your happy, why would you want to turn away? The stories that I have learned from my parents, church, and Paradise Lost are starting to conflict with each other. I'm rather confused about how a rebel against God came to be. I think this paragraph connects with a previous entry about the accuracy of the events that are in the Bible. Anyone can walk home and tell a story about speaking with God, but how many would do so and then publish volumes of their experience?
first impressions
I hate to say it but after reading the his first speech I'm starting to like Satan. He doesn't seem to base his logic on reason but he definitely has guts. To sum up what he said as I would have said it: "He beat us, so what? I don't care what he does I refuse to bow to him. I'd rather be here than go crawling back to Him." Its not the smartest thing to say, but he certainly does make an impression.
The Devil Thinking Out Loud
In the first part of this section (about lines 84-124), it seems like the devil is almost verbally trying to sort through what has happened. The devil sounds a lot like Iago when he is thinking out loud. In lines 105-109, he says, "What though the field be lost? All is not lost; the unconquerable Will, and study of revenge, immortal hate, and courage never submit or yield: and what is else not to be overcome?" To me this basically runs parallel to Iago's belief that it doesn't matter if he loses as long as he takes his opponent down with him. I also found the next few lines really interesting. Lines 111-116 say "To bow and sue for grace with suppliant knee, and defy his power who from the terror of this Arm so late doubted his Empire, that were low indeed, that were an ignominy and shame beneath this downfall". This sounds almost like something the American patriots fighting for their independence would say, very patriotic and justified. These lines just reminded me what Coach Crook says frequently in class about how the villains who are the hardest to defeat are the ones who can justify their cause and truly believe that their side is the right one.
Omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent
I tried to have a discussion with my mom tonight about Paradise Lost. I went into the conversation knowing that if the glory of God was in any way compromised, she would basically pitch a fit and put down everything I was saying. She is a strong methodist who attends bible studies several times a week.
I asked her the same question that Coach Crook asked us in class: If God is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent as Christians have claimed through the scripture, than how can Satan ever deceive him? How can Satan ever get the upper hand, how can he ever win, why does he even try if there is no way that he can win?
My mom claimed that Satan has never been able to deceive God. She said that at times, it has looked like God has been tricked, but in the end he hasn't. I am not well-versed enough in the scripture to disprove her, but I believe that there are probably some examples of Satan having some success. If not, evil is present and often successful in everyday life.
She went on to discount Milton, claiming that his word is not scripture and is not the word of God. Coach Crook said that people often blur the line between fiction and reality when it comes to Paradise Lost. These events have made me question the definition of scripture. When God spoke through Moses, the words were recorded and it became scripture. As far as I know, there is no empirical proof that God actually talked to Moses. People simply believed him. In the same way, if God speaks through Milton, why is Paradise Lost not considered to be scripture, while the words of Moses, John, Mark, etc. are considered to be scripture with not much more (maybe not any) truth? After all, much of Milton's epic was based on the apocrypha books of the Bible, words that are or could have been considered to be scripture.
I asked her the same question that Coach Crook asked us in class: If God is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent as Christians have claimed through the scripture, than how can Satan ever deceive him? How can Satan ever get the upper hand, how can he ever win, why does he even try if there is no way that he can win?
My mom claimed that Satan has never been able to deceive God. She said that at times, it has looked like God has been tricked, but in the end he hasn't. I am not well-versed enough in the scripture to disprove her, but I believe that there are probably some examples of Satan having some success. If not, evil is present and often successful in everyday life.
She went on to discount Milton, claiming that his word is not scripture and is not the word of God. Coach Crook said that people often blur the line between fiction and reality when it comes to Paradise Lost. These events have made me question the definition of scripture. When God spoke through Moses, the words were recorded and it became scripture. As far as I know, there is no empirical proof that God actually talked to Moses. People simply believed him. In the same way, if God speaks through Milton, why is Paradise Lost not considered to be scripture, while the words of Moses, John, Mark, etc. are considered to be scripture with not much more (maybe not any) truth? After all, much of Milton's epic was based on the apocrypha books of the Bible, words that are or could have been considered to be scripture.
Reading 2
I find it interesting that in lines 159- 161 Satan says that from then on he and the other angels will focus on doing evil. For Satan, good and evil would have to have been defined by God. Since God is good, performing evil would be doing the opposite of what God says this would mean that God had to give the angels a set of rules to follow just like he gave to man.
Reading 1???
I like how Milton opens up the book. He starts the story with a great dramatic opening of Satan getting banished from Heaven, and him vowing revenge. Maybe I read a little to far ahead, but I feel like if I were writing a movie, it would be about the war between God and Satan in which Satan is defeated. Then as Satan lies there defeated, he rises up to vow vengeance on God in a never ending eternal war, setting up the ending for a sequel. I suppose what I am saying is that the opening tells of even some more back story, and baits the audience with more to come.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Reading 1
In Lines 1-26 Milton invokes the Muse, who is the same Muse who inspired the first Christian-Judeo theologist (the shepherd). He asked to be exposed to knowledge not obtainable through human means.
I find it interesting that he says, “What in me is dark Illumine” (Milton line 21-22). After reading 27-83, I find it interesting that he uses light imagery to talk about himself. We are lead to believe that light represents good and dark evil; I don’t know exactly where I am going with this thought.
I am confused about God’s role in this story. Since this is an epic, shouldn’t the main character be the hero. God seems like a minor character. We are following Satan and his struggle; God also seems like a bully to me. Why must we “justifie the wayes of God to men” (Milton line 25)? If God’s way was just and fair would it need justifying? On that note, why are Satan and his follower’s punished so severely? What does this say about God? Don’t all subjects have the right to rebel?
Milton has some justifying to do, because I don’t know how I feel about how he is portraying God. God seems like a Corleone and I’m not sure how I feel about that.
I find it interesting that he says, “What in me is dark Illumine” (Milton line 21-22). After reading 27-83, I find it interesting that he uses light imagery to talk about himself. We are lead to believe that light represents good and dark evil; I don’t know exactly where I am going with this thought.
I am confused about God’s role in this story. Since this is an epic, shouldn’t the main character be the hero. God seems like a minor character. We are following Satan and his struggle; God also seems like a bully to me. Why must we “justifie the wayes of God to men” (Milton line 25)? If God’s way was just and fair would it need justifying? On that note, why are Satan and his follower’s punished so severely? What does this say about God? Don’t all subjects have the right to rebel?
Milton has some justifying to do, because I don’t know how I feel about how he is portraying God. God seems like a Corleone and I’m not sure how I feel about that.
Reading 1
Milton is calling upon the Muse to help him write of humankind’s beginning, such as man’s first sin in the Garden of Eden. Milton seeks to surpass the epic poems of all before him, and he calls on the Muse to help him, like the Muse helped the shepherd teach “…the chosen Seed/ In the Beginning how the Heav’ns and Earth/ Rose out of Chaos” (book 1, line 8-9). The Muse is able to tell him the story of what the beginning was like, as the Muse was there to witness it, and Milton is only calling upon the Muse to help him write the book so as he may show the ways of God to humankind. Milton introduces Satan by blaming him for Adam and Eve’s temptation to disobey the Creator in the Garden of Eve. Therefore starts an account of how Satan is cast out of heaven and attempts to go to war with God. Though he has lost, he only begins to feel the pain of having lost the goodness of heaven and the forever lasting pain that is to stay with him in the place he must dwell, which is so unlike heaven.
reading 1
The first thing I noticed when reading the summary on the title page of book one was that Satan is referred to as an archangel, a rank equal to Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. This strikes me as something that goes along with Iago. God, like Othello, must hold Satan in some high esteem and probably trusts him as a well qualified adviser. As for the rest of the reading, Milton invokes God as his muse to write his epic, and he describes Hell itself as the defeated army rests. The one question I have is probably off-topic, but how can spirits wage war against each other if they cannot die? I suppose torture could be an option but it would have to last forever because time means nothing to someone who does not age. I'm just a little unclear about that.
Reading 1
Notice the point around line 62 where Milton says "As one great Furnace flam'd, yet from those flames/ No light, but rather darkness visible"(book 1, line 62-63). I can't quite remember at what point in Othello we mentioned it, but I know that we discussed this notion before of darkness visible. I think in this line, Milton is once again describing the dark realization Satan has as he looks around hell of how dark the world can actually be.
It's also interesting to me that what hurts the most about hell is not how terrible the place is, it's more how terrible the place is compared to heaven. If the Devil had never known of heaven, would he not be satisfied to live in hell all his life? Is that not the main torture of hell for humans: comparing it to how good life on earth was to how it is in hell?
It's also interesting to me that what hurts the most about hell is not how terrible the place is, it's more how terrible the place is compared to heaven. If the Devil had never known of heaven, would he not be satisfied to live in hell all his life? Is that not the main torture of hell for humans: comparing it to how good life on earth was to how it is in hell?
Reading 1
It starts out describing the story of Adam and Eve, and it relates the act of eating the Forbidden Fruit to Pandora opening her box—both of which brought all the death and woe into our world. Then it describes how Jesus brought humanity back into the favor of God with a reference to how Aeneas, while founding Rome, brought the Trojans into good (or better) terms with the Latin gods and goddesses. Then Milton directly invokes the muse while referring to the creation of the world and the Ten Commandments. He boasts how his epic poem will become very famous and reach previously unattained heights (meant here as a pun to mean levels of mastery in poetry and as the literal sense of height because it will fly over Aonian’s Mountain). Then he goes on and describes his goal to explain God’s actions to men which mirrors Virgil’s goal in the Aeneid (Muse, remember the causes for me, with what offense to her divinity or grieving over what did the queen of gods drive a man to undergo so many misfortunes to undertake so many labors). Then he explains how it was the Devil’s influence over Adam and Eve that caused them to betray God. The Devil once was an angel, but his pride had cast him out of Heaven; therefore, in an attempt to match his glory with God’s glory, he fought against God in a large war. The Devil terrorizes men on Earth as well but not as long for he is tormented by the memories of lost happiness and now everlasting pain. Then it goes on to describe Hell as a large furnace where inside the light only reveals darkness. In Hell, this darkness visible serves only to illuminate sights of woe; sorrow; places where peace, rest, and hope are never found; and where torture never ends. It also introduces Beelzebulb who is Satan’s right-hand man.
Reading 1
In lines 1-26, Milton uses the classical approach to beginning his poem. Using apostrophe, he calls upon the muse to inspire him, help him make the best poem, and assist him in portraying his theme: "justifying the ways of god to men" (26). In these lines, Milton makes many biblical allusions to Mount Zion and Sinai and more. He mentions them like Homer mentioned Greek Mythology in his poetry.
During the next section, Satan and his comrade, Beelzebub, are introduced. Mainly we learn about the history of the war between God and Satan. In addition, Milton mentions Satan's role in the eviction from the Garden Eden. Evil's motives appear to be revenge, lust, and pride. In the height of his pride, Satan tried to overthrow God, but God threw him down to hell, where Satan plots his revenge. Evil's presence began in the very beginning of man's time on earth.
During the next section, Satan and his comrade, Beelzebub, are introduced. Mainly we learn about the history of the war between God and Satan. In addition, Milton mentions Satan's role in the eviction from the Garden Eden. Evil's motives appear to be revenge, lust, and pride. In the height of his pride, Satan tried to overthrow God, but God threw him down to hell, where Satan plots his revenge. Evil's presence began in the very beginning of man's time on earth.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
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