English 12: Assignments
Reading Reflection: Meaningful Quote
Cal Newport: "Following your passion is bad advice." I chose this quote from a variety of reasons. It grounds me on earth, a nice slap in the face that everybody my age needs. I am known for being an idealist, but I politely I am a "modest idealist." That unique label spawns from my epiphany a while back that I realized that hoping the highest out of each and every situation, person, etc. will lead to major disappointment. To say "follow your passion" sounds so regal on paper, yet a headache in real life, and I recognize this. This will help me later in life to keep my goals and financial escalades in check.
Reading Reflection: Identifying Realistic Writing
"Yes, he's got a father, but you can't never find him these days. He used to lay drunk with the hogs in the tanyard, but he ain't been seen in these parts for a year or more” (Twain 16).
This excerpt from Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn demonstrates Pap’s alcoholism is no secret to the community. It explains others’ willingness and insistence at helping Huck all the time. This also aligns with the characteristic of realism: Renders reality closely and in comprehensive detail. Alcoholism is a real issue facing millions.
“I was pretty tired, and the first thing I knowed I was asleep. When I woke up I didn't know where I was for a minute. I set up and looked around, a little scared. Then I remembered. The river looked miles and miles across. The moon was so bright I could a counted the drift logs that went a-slipping along, black and still, hundreds of yards out from shore. Everything was dead quiet, and it looked late, and SMELT late. You know what I mean—I don't know the words to put it in” (Twain 56).
This quote from Huckleberry Finn as well aligns with the Realistic characteristic: Renders reality closely and in comprehensive detail. This quote exemplifies selective presentation of reality with an emphasis on verisimilitude. The Romantic would describe the forest with more literary devices (especially metaphors and similes) and legato, while Twain here paints the scene for what it truly is.
Reading Reflection: How Romantic are You Now? (#2)
Upon completing this unit on Romanticism, it has made me more Romantic. It strengthened my awe in William Wordsworth, and upon analyzing my writing style-- I am uncompromisingly a Romantic. I most closely pin myself to these tenets of romanticism: Individuality/Democracy/Personal Freedom; Celebration of the Simple Life; sentimental melancholy. Charles Baudelaire’s quote,"Romanticism is precisely situated neither in choice of subject nor exact truth, but in a way of feeling," is how I strongly relate to romanticism and think.
I love these type of assignments, the type of assignments that make you introspective. The reason being, one finds solace in the discovery of who they are, and I certainly did. My short/medium goal is to discover who I am as a person, as i have spent most of this year doing so, and these type of assignments really help out.
Reading Reflection: Dramatic Irony in Oedipus Rex
In the Greek tragedy, “Oedipus The King,” by Sophocles, a man is immediately slain, and the art of dramatic irony is used to expose the murderer. This style that Sophocles used is his play was dramatic irony. This is when the reader has more knowledge of what is really happened before the characters can even find out themselves. As the murder mystery unfolds before the reader, Sophocles uses dramatic irony to keep the reader on the inside throughout the entire play, so that they are never clueless to what has really happened.
There are many examples throughout the first couple of scenes. An example of dramatic irony employs in the story is when Tiresias, the holy prophet comes into scene I, we learn of Oedipus being the murderer of King Laius. We are told this before Oedipus even knows that he killed this king. Sophocles explains this when he uses Tiresias to foreshadow that Oedipus is the murderer. Tiresias says, “You yourself are the pollution of this country” (line 135). Again he says on line 162, “Creon is no threat, you weave you own doom.” By him making these comments towards Oedipus we are learning that it is Oedipus that is the villain. By use of dramatic irony the reader will discover the truth before the character; this adds an element of humor when Oedipus vigorously accuses Tiresias of making these horrible accusations and remarks before the king of all people, yet the reader knows that Oedipus is indeed the killer.
Reading Reflection: An Interview With...
Hello, this is NPR news and I am Andrew Glaza. Today, on January 17 1946, I talk with Michael Obi, a renowned educator from Great Britain, and his efforts to revamp an elementary school in a small Nigerian village. To put the story in context, Nigeria is a colony of Great Britain. Enough gobbledygook now, let us get to the skinny:
Glaza: What are your plans as the new headmaster of this school in Nigeria?
Obi: Oh gosh, I hope to do a lot of things! Firstly, I would like to say my high qualifications speak for themselves. More specifically, I would rid the institution of the backwards, pagan tradition that plagues that poor colony of Her splendorous Empire.
Glaza: How does your wife feel about the trip?
Obi: She thinks the trip will be quite a gas…She too agrees that old teaching methods and traditions are preventing progress. As well, she has a strong intent on beautifying the school.
Glaza: How are the Ibo people responding to you as headmaster?
Obi: They think I am God. They see me as their savior from their petty former lives they lived before my arrival. Through my progressive methods, they are not participating in pagan rituals and are getting a proper Western education
Glaza: That’s swell! You think they would be resentful for stripping them of their traditions. Ah well, was the school bad to do with anyways?
Obi: Oh Andrew very much so. Ndume school is backwards in every sense of the world. I have two aims to fix it: a high standard of teaching and and the school yards are to be a beautiful garden reflecting the high standard of teaching.
Glaza: Those are great goals, oh what a favor you are doing for them! According to a foreign correspondent we have on the ground at Ndume Central School, there is a much revered path that extends through your proposed garden… What is it and how will you go about this situation?
Obi: The way I think about it is that it is totally irrelevant to the school and its purpose. The path is supposedly used for rituals and is in no way modern. My intention is to close the path as soon as possible. You see it is part of that conditioning process; strip the old and implant the new, and it all starts with this pagan path.
Reading Reflection: Bearing Witness
To bear witness is to be a global citizen. Bearing witness is the activity of informing oneself of former and present global events, and forming an opinion based off of the evidence, and letting your opinion be known through various outlets. Such outlets include local government, state government, or even federal government, as well as the United Nations; social media will also suffice.
A story that fascinates me is Malala Yousafzai’s memoir I am Malala. Her book describes the story of her and her dad’s struggle for advocating for women’s and children’s rights in their native region of Swat, but controlled by the parochial Taliban. Through Malala, one can bear witness to the ever-growing threat of radicalism in the world and how it greatly contrasts with today’s progressiveness. Through Malala’s novel, I learned about the profound prejudice that the Taliban impresses on the land they conquer. The Taliban bars women from going to school and imposes harsh sharia law. From reading Malala’s book, it has changed my viewpoint on American intervention in the Middle East/Pakistani area to the point that if boots on the ground is not possible, diplomacy with other influential countries and an allied offense would be the best way to go. As well, her story has taught me how safe I am in the United States; I am again reminded of the cliche “don’t take things for granted.” Oftentimes I take my opportunity of free education for granted and vent to my schoolmates about all the assignments I have and how I have to learn a certain math concept, but after reading some excerpts from Malala’s book, I now tie my tongue when I am tempted to complain about school.
Reading Reflection: Westgate Mall
Attention: The world is not real. John Mayer was right when we he exclaimed in his 2001 single “No Such Thing”: “ I just found out there's no such thing as the real world, just a lie you've got to rise above.” The tragedy at Westgate Mall highlights this. In newspapers around the world, ranging from BBC to the Washington Post, journalists reported what they gathered from the FBI secret briefing: 4 Somalis, in military uniform, carrying machine guns. According to eyewitnesses interviewed by a foreign correspondent working for NPR, many of them claim they saw 10 to 15 Somali and African soldiers, some even kids, wearing tshirts and carrying guns; some also claim that some of the terrorists escaped by changing clothes, dropping their guns, and running with the crowd without little notice.
Reading Reflection: Red Scarf Girl
Ji Li-Jiang’s “Red Scarf Girl” is much akin to the works of Chinua Achebe. Her accounts of the terrifying political purge in China--spearheaded by the Central Communist Party-- reek of immense passion, as it is told first hand when she was merely twelve years old. The author is successful with the employment of passion through painting a sharp, concise image of 1960s China and its horrors of oppression imposed on the upper-tier of society; the occurrence mirrors much like the French Revolution in the late 1700s. One literary device she uses to evoke passion is imagery. An example of a moment eloquently illustrated is when Ji is painting da-zi-bao, or communist propaganda, at her elementary school: “Who would have believed that our educational system was wrong after all… we thanked heaven that Chairman Mao...uncovered the mess in our schools… all school classes were suspended indefinitely. All students…[wrote] big posters, da-zi-bao, criticizing the educational system” (Jiang 38). Another literary device Jiang employs is antithesis. Belonging to a historically noble family in China with a decent amount of wealth, Jiang is torn between her family and the anti-bourgeois attitude the Communist Party is shoving down her throat at school, and much of the anecdotes in her book highlight this stark contrast through antithesis. For example, Ji-Li is walking with her friend down the street and is in awe at a young man’s handsomeness. He is adorned in the latest fashion trends from the West-- dark-rimmed glasses, pointy two-tone brown shoes, and slim fit dress pants--yet clothing “inspectors” (enforcing the specific dress code mandated by the Communist Party) patrolling the street sneered at the man, scissors in hand, exclaiming: “ tight pants and pointy shoes are what the Western bourgeoisie admire...they are neither good-looking nor comfortable…” (30). All in all, Jiang uses the literary devices imagery and antithesis to mock the hard decisions and atrocious scenes of clash between two central parts of her life, as both a member of the Communist Party and family member of a wealthy family.
Is Gilgamesh a Hero?
Gilgamesh is a hero, for he is a butterfly who sheds the cocoon of his arrogance throughout his sojourn in search of eternal life and emerges a benevolent ruler content with his human limits. The people of Uruk have persistently begged to the gods to remove Gilgamesh from power. Yet, Gilgamesh is a defiant demigod, and slays Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven, two creations by the Gods poised at killing Gilgamesh. Eventually, the Gods penetrate the king’s vast ego complex through leaving his friend, Enkidu, to die a slow and painful death. Afraid of his own death, Gilgamesh goes on a danger-filled journey to find the secret to immortality. As the king continues on his journey, he grows increasingly weary of the existence of immortal life. At first, he astonishingly slays a herd of lions, receives passage by the scorpion guards to journey through the tunnel of darkness, challenges the god Siduri, but at the end of the trek he cannot stay awake for seven days and seven nights--the final challenge to achieve immortality. Gilgamesh grew haggard throughout his journey, for he is merely two-thirds god. Utnapishtim, recognizing how far he came, he is cleansed and receives new clothes; Gilgamesh is rejuvenated. As a consolation prize, Gilgamesh also receives a plant that rejuvenates youth to whoever eats it. At this point, Gilgamesh accepts his ultimate fate and proclaims: “I will take [the plant] to Uruk of the strong walls; there I will give it to the old men to eat” (46). Gilgamesh learns from the most intense trials a mortal can face that death is inevitable. Therefore, he aspires to grow as a kinder, gentler king in order to seal his legacy on Uruk for centuries to come so he will be remembered.
Cal Newport: "Following your passion is bad advice." I chose this quote from a variety of reasons. It grounds me on earth, a nice slap in the face that everybody my age needs. I am known for being an idealist, but I politely I am a "modest idealist." That unique label spawns from my epiphany a while back that I realized that hoping the highest out of each and every situation, person, etc. will lead to major disappointment. To say "follow your passion" sounds so regal on paper, yet a headache in real life, and I recognize this. This will help me later in life to keep my goals and financial escalades in check.
Reading Reflection: Identifying Realistic Writing
"Yes, he's got a father, but you can't never find him these days. He used to lay drunk with the hogs in the tanyard, but he ain't been seen in these parts for a year or more” (Twain 16).
This excerpt from Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn demonstrates Pap’s alcoholism is no secret to the community. It explains others’ willingness and insistence at helping Huck all the time. This also aligns with the characteristic of realism: Renders reality closely and in comprehensive detail. Alcoholism is a real issue facing millions.
“I was pretty tired, and the first thing I knowed I was asleep. When I woke up I didn't know where I was for a minute. I set up and looked around, a little scared. Then I remembered. The river looked miles and miles across. The moon was so bright I could a counted the drift logs that went a-slipping along, black and still, hundreds of yards out from shore. Everything was dead quiet, and it looked late, and SMELT late. You know what I mean—I don't know the words to put it in” (Twain 56).
This quote from Huckleberry Finn as well aligns with the Realistic characteristic: Renders reality closely and in comprehensive detail. This quote exemplifies selective presentation of reality with an emphasis on verisimilitude. The Romantic would describe the forest with more literary devices (especially metaphors and similes) and legato, while Twain here paints the scene for what it truly is.
Reading Reflection: How Romantic are You Now? (#2)
Upon completing this unit on Romanticism, it has made me more Romantic. It strengthened my awe in William Wordsworth, and upon analyzing my writing style-- I am uncompromisingly a Romantic. I most closely pin myself to these tenets of romanticism: Individuality/Democracy/Personal Freedom; Celebration of the Simple Life; sentimental melancholy. Charles Baudelaire’s quote,"Romanticism is precisely situated neither in choice of subject nor exact truth, but in a way of feeling," is how I strongly relate to romanticism and think.
I love these type of assignments, the type of assignments that make you introspective. The reason being, one finds solace in the discovery of who they are, and I certainly did. My short/medium goal is to discover who I am as a person, as i have spent most of this year doing so, and these type of assignments really help out.
Reading Reflection: Dramatic Irony in Oedipus Rex
In the Greek tragedy, “Oedipus The King,” by Sophocles, a man is immediately slain, and the art of dramatic irony is used to expose the murderer. This style that Sophocles used is his play was dramatic irony. This is when the reader has more knowledge of what is really happened before the characters can even find out themselves. As the murder mystery unfolds before the reader, Sophocles uses dramatic irony to keep the reader on the inside throughout the entire play, so that they are never clueless to what has really happened.
There are many examples throughout the first couple of scenes. An example of dramatic irony employs in the story is when Tiresias, the holy prophet comes into scene I, we learn of Oedipus being the murderer of King Laius. We are told this before Oedipus even knows that he killed this king. Sophocles explains this when he uses Tiresias to foreshadow that Oedipus is the murderer. Tiresias says, “You yourself are the pollution of this country” (line 135). Again he says on line 162, “Creon is no threat, you weave you own doom.” By him making these comments towards Oedipus we are learning that it is Oedipus that is the villain. By use of dramatic irony the reader will discover the truth before the character; this adds an element of humor when Oedipus vigorously accuses Tiresias of making these horrible accusations and remarks before the king of all people, yet the reader knows that Oedipus is indeed the killer.
Reading Reflection: An Interview With...
Hello, this is NPR news and I am Andrew Glaza. Today, on January 17 1946, I talk with Michael Obi, a renowned educator from Great Britain, and his efforts to revamp an elementary school in a small Nigerian village. To put the story in context, Nigeria is a colony of Great Britain. Enough gobbledygook now, let us get to the skinny:
Glaza: What are your plans as the new headmaster of this school in Nigeria?
Obi: Oh gosh, I hope to do a lot of things! Firstly, I would like to say my high qualifications speak for themselves. More specifically, I would rid the institution of the backwards, pagan tradition that plagues that poor colony of Her splendorous Empire.
Glaza: How does your wife feel about the trip?
Obi: She thinks the trip will be quite a gas…She too agrees that old teaching methods and traditions are preventing progress. As well, she has a strong intent on beautifying the school.
Glaza: How are the Ibo people responding to you as headmaster?
Obi: They think I am God. They see me as their savior from their petty former lives they lived before my arrival. Through my progressive methods, they are not participating in pagan rituals and are getting a proper Western education
Glaza: That’s swell! You think they would be resentful for stripping them of their traditions. Ah well, was the school bad to do with anyways?
Obi: Oh Andrew very much so. Ndume school is backwards in every sense of the world. I have two aims to fix it: a high standard of teaching and and the school yards are to be a beautiful garden reflecting the high standard of teaching.
Glaza: Those are great goals, oh what a favor you are doing for them! According to a foreign correspondent we have on the ground at Ndume Central School, there is a much revered path that extends through your proposed garden… What is it and how will you go about this situation?
Obi: The way I think about it is that it is totally irrelevant to the school and its purpose. The path is supposedly used for rituals and is in no way modern. My intention is to close the path as soon as possible. You see it is part of that conditioning process; strip the old and implant the new, and it all starts with this pagan path.
Reading Reflection: Bearing Witness
To bear witness is to be a global citizen. Bearing witness is the activity of informing oneself of former and present global events, and forming an opinion based off of the evidence, and letting your opinion be known through various outlets. Such outlets include local government, state government, or even federal government, as well as the United Nations; social media will also suffice.
A story that fascinates me is Malala Yousafzai’s memoir I am Malala. Her book describes the story of her and her dad’s struggle for advocating for women’s and children’s rights in their native region of Swat, but controlled by the parochial Taliban. Through Malala, one can bear witness to the ever-growing threat of radicalism in the world and how it greatly contrasts with today’s progressiveness. Through Malala’s novel, I learned about the profound prejudice that the Taliban impresses on the land they conquer. The Taliban bars women from going to school and imposes harsh sharia law. From reading Malala’s book, it has changed my viewpoint on American intervention in the Middle East/Pakistani area to the point that if boots on the ground is not possible, diplomacy with other influential countries and an allied offense would be the best way to go. As well, her story has taught me how safe I am in the United States; I am again reminded of the cliche “don’t take things for granted.” Oftentimes I take my opportunity of free education for granted and vent to my schoolmates about all the assignments I have and how I have to learn a certain math concept, but after reading some excerpts from Malala’s book, I now tie my tongue when I am tempted to complain about school.
Reading Reflection: Westgate Mall
Attention: The world is not real. John Mayer was right when we he exclaimed in his 2001 single “No Such Thing”: “ I just found out there's no such thing as the real world, just a lie you've got to rise above.” The tragedy at Westgate Mall highlights this. In newspapers around the world, ranging from BBC to the Washington Post, journalists reported what they gathered from the FBI secret briefing: 4 Somalis, in military uniform, carrying machine guns. According to eyewitnesses interviewed by a foreign correspondent working for NPR, many of them claim they saw 10 to 15 Somali and African soldiers, some even kids, wearing tshirts and carrying guns; some also claim that some of the terrorists escaped by changing clothes, dropping their guns, and running with the crowd without little notice.
Reading Reflection: Red Scarf Girl
Ji Li-Jiang’s “Red Scarf Girl” is much akin to the works of Chinua Achebe. Her accounts of the terrifying political purge in China--spearheaded by the Central Communist Party-- reek of immense passion, as it is told first hand when she was merely twelve years old. The author is successful with the employment of passion through painting a sharp, concise image of 1960s China and its horrors of oppression imposed on the upper-tier of society; the occurrence mirrors much like the French Revolution in the late 1700s. One literary device she uses to evoke passion is imagery. An example of a moment eloquently illustrated is when Ji is painting da-zi-bao, or communist propaganda, at her elementary school: “Who would have believed that our educational system was wrong after all… we thanked heaven that Chairman Mao...uncovered the mess in our schools… all school classes were suspended indefinitely. All students…[wrote] big posters, da-zi-bao, criticizing the educational system” (Jiang 38). Another literary device Jiang employs is antithesis. Belonging to a historically noble family in China with a decent amount of wealth, Jiang is torn between her family and the anti-bourgeois attitude the Communist Party is shoving down her throat at school, and much of the anecdotes in her book highlight this stark contrast through antithesis. For example, Ji-Li is walking with her friend down the street and is in awe at a young man’s handsomeness. He is adorned in the latest fashion trends from the West-- dark-rimmed glasses, pointy two-tone brown shoes, and slim fit dress pants--yet clothing “inspectors” (enforcing the specific dress code mandated by the Communist Party) patrolling the street sneered at the man, scissors in hand, exclaiming: “ tight pants and pointy shoes are what the Western bourgeoisie admire...they are neither good-looking nor comfortable…” (30). All in all, Jiang uses the literary devices imagery and antithesis to mock the hard decisions and atrocious scenes of clash between two central parts of her life, as both a member of the Communist Party and family member of a wealthy family.
Is Gilgamesh a Hero?
Gilgamesh is a hero, for he is a butterfly who sheds the cocoon of his arrogance throughout his sojourn in search of eternal life and emerges a benevolent ruler content with his human limits. The people of Uruk have persistently begged to the gods to remove Gilgamesh from power. Yet, Gilgamesh is a defiant demigod, and slays Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven, two creations by the Gods poised at killing Gilgamesh. Eventually, the Gods penetrate the king’s vast ego complex through leaving his friend, Enkidu, to die a slow and painful death. Afraid of his own death, Gilgamesh goes on a danger-filled journey to find the secret to immortality. As the king continues on his journey, he grows increasingly weary of the existence of immortal life. At first, he astonishingly slays a herd of lions, receives passage by the scorpion guards to journey through the tunnel of darkness, challenges the god Siduri, but at the end of the trek he cannot stay awake for seven days and seven nights--the final challenge to achieve immortality. Gilgamesh grew haggard throughout his journey, for he is merely two-thirds god. Utnapishtim, recognizing how far he came, he is cleansed and receives new clothes; Gilgamesh is rejuvenated. As a consolation prize, Gilgamesh also receives a plant that rejuvenates youth to whoever eats it. At this point, Gilgamesh accepts his ultimate fate and proclaims: “I will take [the plant] to Uruk of the strong walls; there I will give it to the old men to eat” (46). Gilgamesh learns from the most intense trials a mortal can face that death is inevitable. Therefore, he aspires to grow as a kinder, gentler king in order to seal his legacy on Uruk for centuries to come so he will be remembered.
Archetypal Themes in Ancient Literature
Throughout ancient literature, one archetypal theme out of the various stories we read prominently stood out to me: human seeks forbidden knowledge. One such story is that of the Hebrew Bible’s Adam and Eve. Eve was beseeched by a clever snake in the garden of Eden. The snake convinces Eve by telling her that her,"eyes would be opened," and she would "be like God, knowing good and evil," by eating an apple from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Bible Gen 3:5). Yet, this was the only tree in the garden that God, their heavenly father and creator, explicitly stated not to eat from. Eve nonetheless ate from the tree in the pursuit of wisdom. Another scenario where humans seek forbidden knowledge is Gilgamesh. The king of Uruk is an arrogant ruler who is jealous of the gods for eternal life; Gilgamesh yearns for immortality. His desire is cemented after witnessing the slow and painful death of his soulmate Enkidu, who is left to exist in a dark, desolate manor serving Ereshkigal, the Queen of the Underworld; Gilgamesh was horrified. Gilgamesh was half-mortal, half-god, thus his superhuman strength allowed him to brave a perilous journey to meet with Utnapishtim--the only mortal who has immortality-- and inquire how he too can receive it. Alas, Utnapishtim’s account of the flood revealed how ludicrous such a goal is, since death is inextricably woven into the fabric of creation.
Along with seeking forbidden knowledge comes frightening punishments. In the eyes of the stories’ gods, humans seeking prohibited information is sinful. For example, in the story of Adam and Eve, God feels betrayed by his creations and condemns them and future generations of their offspring a life of suffering and injustice. As well, God makes their existence finite, where at the end of their lives they turn to dust and return the ground; women will experience pain when giving birth; man has dominion over women, for it was Eve, a female, who gave into sin; man must till the ground for sustenance. Another set of punishments is seen in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Due to Gilgamesh’s relentless battle with the Gods for equal knowledge and glory-- Gilgamesh defeating Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven-- they pronounce his non-god accomplice, Enkidu, to a slow, painful death. As well, the gods again punish the king on his journey for immortality through forcing him to go on a laborious sojourn to Utnapishtim, consisting of: a desert with hoards of lions, half-man/half-scorpion guards, twelve leagues of foot-travel in darkness, Siduri’s gate, and Urshanabi's ferry ride. Even after finding out from Utnapishtim that immortality is not possible, the plant he receives that can restore youth to a human, a serpent from the sea snatches it and sheds it skin, while Gilgamesh weeps.
What I took away from the countless attempts of people trying to uncover forbidden knowledge is that the quest is extremely tempting. I enjoy browsing Wikileaks's infinite amount of illegally obtained (kudos to Mr. Edward Snowden) documents regarding the toppest secrets around modern issues by numerous governments around the world. To my fortune, I do not face a menacing God in the sky on the verge of holding me over hell by a slender thread. On the other hand, another lesson I learned is when an individual seeks forbidden knowledge is that is also dangerous. For example, a division of the Chinese government was indicted by the Unites States Government for extracting trade secrets from certain Fortune 500 companies. As well, citizens of North Korea in search for a better, but forbidden life by the centralized government, are arrested trying to flee the nation.
Throughout ancient literature, one archetypal theme out of the various stories we read prominently stood out to me: human seeks forbidden knowledge. One such story is that of the Hebrew Bible’s Adam and Eve. Eve was beseeched by a clever snake in the garden of Eden. The snake convinces Eve by telling her that her,"eyes would be opened," and she would "be like God, knowing good and evil," by eating an apple from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Bible Gen 3:5). Yet, this was the only tree in the garden that God, their heavenly father and creator, explicitly stated not to eat from. Eve nonetheless ate from the tree in the pursuit of wisdom. Another scenario where humans seek forbidden knowledge is Gilgamesh. The king of Uruk is an arrogant ruler who is jealous of the gods for eternal life; Gilgamesh yearns for immortality. His desire is cemented after witnessing the slow and painful death of his soulmate Enkidu, who is left to exist in a dark, desolate manor serving Ereshkigal, the Queen of the Underworld; Gilgamesh was horrified. Gilgamesh was half-mortal, half-god, thus his superhuman strength allowed him to brave a perilous journey to meet with Utnapishtim--the only mortal who has immortality-- and inquire how he too can receive it. Alas, Utnapishtim’s account of the flood revealed how ludicrous such a goal is, since death is inextricably woven into the fabric of creation.
Along with seeking forbidden knowledge comes frightening punishments. In the eyes of the stories’ gods, humans seeking prohibited information is sinful. For example, in the story of Adam and Eve, God feels betrayed by his creations and condemns them and future generations of their offspring a life of suffering and injustice. As well, God makes their existence finite, where at the end of their lives they turn to dust and return the ground; women will experience pain when giving birth; man has dominion over women, for it was Eve, a female, who gave into sin; man must till the ground for sustenance. Another set of punishments is seen in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Due to Gilgamesh’s relentless battle with the Gods for equal knowledge and glory-- Gilgamesh defeating Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven-- they pronounce his non-god accomplice, Enkidu, to a slow, painful death. As well, the gods again punish the king on his journey for immortality through forcing him to go on a laborious sojourn to Utnapishtim, consisting of: a desert with hoards of lions, half-man/half-scorpion guards, twelve leagues of foot-travel in darkness, Siduri’s gate, and Urshanabi's ferry ride. Even after finding out from Utnapishtim that immortality is not possible, the plant he receives that can restore youth to a human, a serpent from the sea snatches it and sheds it skin, while Gilgamesh weeps.
What I took away from the countless attempts of people trying to uncover forbidden knowledge is that the quest is extremely tempting. I enjoy browsing Wikileaks's infinite amount of illegally obtained (kudos to Mr. Edward Snowden) documents regarding the toppest secrets around modern issues by numerous governments around the world. To my fortune, I do not face a menacing God in the sky on the verge of holding me over hell by a slender thread. On the other hand, another lesson I learned is when an individual seeks forbidden knowledge is that is also dangerous. For example, a division of the Chinese government was indicted by the Unites States Government for extracting trade secrets from certain Fortune 500 companies. As well, citizens of North Korea in search for a better, but forbidden life by the centralized government, are arrested trying to flee the nation.
Life of Pi Reflection
Zoos are not a bad thing. Prior to reading Yann Martel's Life of Pi, my face would ripen red as a tomato and would roar from the bottom of my lungs the atrocities zoos commit to their animal slaves daily. Yet, after considering Mr.Martel's arguments affirming the goodness of zoos, I adjusted my opinion. The reason behind my change of heart may seem paradoxical at first: animals are freer in zoos than in the wild. In the wild, animals constantly have to fret over shelter, predators, and a source of water, and humans think their lives are stressful? Zoos, on the other hand, provide stable supplies of food, quality healthcare, shelter, and a safe haven from predators. As well, Pi, a zoology major and proponent for the pro-zoo argument in the book, states that animals enjoy routines. Similar to many humans, especially myself, animals loathe surprises. The wild is uncertainty, and force various species to possibly jumble their daily habits for the sake of survival. Zoos are the equivalent of a utopia to humans, but for animals; food, shelter, and routine is abundant.
Education on both sides of the zoo debate is important. Some claim that they restrict an animal's freedom via portioned food, small encasings, and being spectated by hordes of rowdy humans hour upon hour and day by day. Yet, zoo experts may argue that animals are indeed free; free from fear. To add onto the complexity, some zoos may treat their animals better than other. Therefore, there may be varying degrees of "freedom." For example, Piscine's Pondicherry zoo may provide a good-minded holistic approach focusing on the well-being of their animals, while the Kyoto Aquarium may overwork their performance dolphins focusing on the well-being of the employees' pockets. Knowing the scale of quality care a zoo provides its animals reflects the quality of the zoo. As a global community, it is important mankind assess each zoo in accordance to the scale and go from there. I will use my newfound knowledge to voice my opinion in the ongoing debate pertaining to the moral and philosophical arguments involving zoos and will push for the implementation of this scale system.
Zoos are not a bad thing. Prior to reading Yann Martel's Life of Pi, my face would ripen red as a tomato and would roar from the bottom of my lungs the atrocities zoos commit to their animal slaves daily. Yet, after considering Mr.Martel's arguments affirming the goodness of zoos, I adjusted my opinion. The reason behind my change of heart may seem paradoxical at first: animals are freer in zoos than in the wild. In the wild, animals constantly have to fret over shelter, predators, and a source of water, and humans think their lives are stressful? Zoos, on the other hand, provide stable supplies of food, quality healthcare, shelter, and a safe haven from predators. As well, Pi, a zoology major and proponent for the pro-zoo argument in the book, states that animals enjoy routines. Similar to many humans, especially myself, animals loathe surprises. The wild is uncertainty, and force various species to possibly jumble their daily habits for the sake of survival. Zoos are the equivalent of a utopia to humans, but for animals; food, shelter, and routine is abundant.
Education on both sides of the zoo debate is important. Some claim that they restrict an animal's freedom via portioned food, small encasings, and being spectated by hordes of rowdy humans hour upon hour and day by day. Yet, zoo experts may argue that animals are indeed free; free from fear. To add onto the complexity, some zoos may treat their animals better than other. Therefore, there may be varying degrees of "freedom." For example, Piscine's Pondicherry zoo may provide a good-minded holistic approach focusing on the well-being of their animals, while the Kyoto Aquarium may overwork their performance dolphins focusing on the well-being of the employees' pockets. Knowing the scale of quality care a zoo provides its animals reflects the quality of the zoo. As a global community, it is important mankind assess each zoo in accordance to the scale and go from there. I will use my newfound knowledge to voice my opinion in the ongoing debate pertaining to the moral and philosophical arguments involving zoos and will push for the implementation of this scale system.
Ancient Hebrew and Mayan Culture Through Literature
To my surprise, I found many similarities between the two polar cultures: Ancient Hebrew and Mayan. The fact that the two cultures contain religious pamphlets exemplify the two culture’s fixation on working to answer existential questions of humans on earth and other riveting mysteries of the universe. Both cultures, in their religious texts, answered the question-- where did humans come from-- by stating that the race came from the ground. As well, they answer the question--Who or what started the universe-- through claiming one (Christian) or more deities (Mayan) crafted it as they saw fit. As well, in both stories, the Gods waited to create the humans for last. When humans acted out of line in accordance to the Gods’ rules, the Gods punished humans in both stories, both preferring of instilling a flood on Earth to wipe the humans out to cleanse the world.
Past these general similarities, though, lay distinct differences in the creation stories and cultures themselves. In the Book of Genesis, God’s creations were perfect, and can be exemplified when God looks onto all of his creations on the sixth day and sees, rather satisfactory, that “everything he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Bible 66). This shadows the Ancient Hebrew’s view of God as infallible. Yet, in the Mayan Popol Vuh, the four Gods-- Plumed Serpent, Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth, and Bearer/Begetter/Maker/Modeler-- as fallible. It took the gods multiple attempts to create the human race as compared to God’s single time in the Book of Genesis. Even after the Mayan Gods created the human race out of corn, they were dangerously as powerful as the gods that created them; the humans were omnipotent. Due to this, all of the Mayan Gods, “blinded [the corn people]... their vision flickered. Now it was only from close up that they could see” (Popol Vuh 85). In contrast to the Mayan humans birthed with unlimited knowledge, Genesis’s Adam and Eve were adamant of good nor evil; they lived in the garden, taken care of by God, until they defied God’s instruction by eating off of a tree they were not permitted to. Another key difference between the two creation stories is that in Genesis, humans were allowed to, “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over [every other being on the earth]” (Bible 66). Yet, in the Popol Vuh, humans were expected to: “speak, pray... keep [the] days [for the gods]” ( Popol Vuh 79). Nonetheless, the Mayan Gods’ first humans, the wood people, “accomplished nothing before the Maker, Modeler, who gave them birth, gave them heart” (82).
All of these things considered, the similarities and differences between the Ancient Hebrew and Mayan Culture stories tell much about the two cultures. The Ancient Hebrews promote living in harmony with God and to freely exercise their dominance over the beings of the world through constructing vast empires. Women were often compared second-rate to humans due to Eve’s temptation from Satan. Meanwhile, many of the men tended to the land for food, a punishment given to humanity by God for eating off of the tree of Knowledge. Meanwhile, the Mayan culture participated in many religious rituals, per their calendar, due to the Gods’ instructions in worshipping them during the different parts of the year. The fact that Mayans were conceived out of corn shows the importance of crops and the importance of taking care of the earth. Finally, floods present in both stories show that the two cultures value a connection with their creators and to lead a moral life to avoid such an event again.
To my surprise, I found many similarities between the two polar cultures: Ancient Hebrew and Mayan. The fact that the two cultures contain religious pamphlets exemplify the two culture’s fixation on working to answer existential questions of humans on earth and other riveting mysteries of the universe. Both cultures, in their religious texts, answered the question-- where did humans come from-- by stating that the race came from the ground. As well, they answer the question--Who or what started the universe-- through claiming one (Christian) or more deities (Mayan) crafted it as they saw fit. As well, in both stories, the Gods waited to create the humans for last. When humans acted out of line in accordance to the Gods’ rules, the Gods punished humans in both stories, both preferring of instilling a flood on Earth to wipe the humans out to cleanse the world.
Past these general similarities, though, lay distinct differences in the creation stories and cultures themselves. In the Book of Genesis, God’s creations were perfect, and can be exemplified when God looks onto all of his creations on the sixth day and sees, rather satisfactory, that “everything he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Bible 66). This shadows the Ancient Hebrew’s view of God as infallible. Yet, in the Mayan Popol Vuh, the four Gods-- Plumed Serpent, Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth, and Bearer/Begetter/Maker/Modeler-- as fallible. It took the gods multiple attempts to create the human race as compared to God’s single time in the Book of Genesis. Even after the Mayan Gods created the human race out of corn, they were dangerously as powerful as the gods that created them; the humans were omnipotent. Due to this, all of the Mayan Gods, “blinded [the corn people]... their vision flickered. Now it was only from close up that they could see” (Popol Vuh 85). In contrast to the Mayan humans birthed with unlimited knowledge, Genesis’s Adam and Eve were adamant of good nor evil; they lived in the garden, taken care of by God, until they defied God’s instruction by eating off of a tree they were not permitted to. Another key difference between the two creation stories is that in Genesis, humans were allowed to, “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over [every other being on the earth]” (Bible 66). Yet, in the Popol Vuh, humans were expected to: “speak, pray... keep [the] days [for the gods]” ( Popol Vuh 79). Nonetheless, the Mayan Gods’ first humans, the wood people, “accomplished nothing before the Maker, Modeler, who gave them birth, gave them heart” (82).
All of these things considered, the similarities and differences between the Ancient Hebrew and Mayan Culture stories tell much about the two cultures. The Ancient Hebrews promote living in harmony with God and to freely exercise their dominance over the beings of the world through constructing vast empires. Women were often compared second-rate to humans due to Eve’s temptation from Satan. Meanwhile, many of the men tended to the land for food, a punishment given to humanity by God for eating off of the tree of Knowledge. Meanwhile, the Mayan culture participated in many religious rituals, per their calendar, due to the Gods’ instructions in worshipping them during the different parts of the year. The fact that Mayans were conceived out of corn shows the importance of crops and the importance of taking care of the earth. Finally, floods present in both stories show that the two cultures value a connection with their creators and to lead a moral life to avoid such an event again.