The following are posts that I posted on the class blogs:
Oedipus Blog: My big question is, "must man atone for his sins (and to what degree), or can he be forgiven?"
Sophocles is rather blunt in Oedipus that man must atone for his sins, and atone in a way that is equal to his sins. Oedipus kills his father, marries his mother, and disregards the divine prophecy of the Oracle of Apollo. Consequently, he must live with the knowledge of what he has done, blind, and exiled from Greek society. Oedipus shows that man must be held accountable for his mistakes the rule of "an eye for an eye," must be followed.
Literary Essay Number 1 Blog:
In the novel, East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, the depression and suicide of Tom Hamilton is used to demonstrate the allure of sin and man's susceptibility to choosing to be conquered by sin.
Ghosts Summer Reading: I only read three books this summer, Ghosts, East of Eden by John Steinbeck, and Candide by Voltaire. East of Eden was an excellent book. Steinbeck has a lot of talent and he effectively portrayed the frailty of humanity. Candide was hilarious and very short, I recommend it to anyone who needs a book to read over a flight. It satirizes philosophy in a very blunt and humorous manner. I did not read Harry Potter.
Poem:
Wind streams over a salt marsh. Biting, Salty air burns lungs with cold. A mangled speed limit sign flapping In the breeze, riddled with bullet Holes. THe bitter scent of rust hangs In the air around street signs. The tide gently nudges slush ashore Islands of grass. A flock of geese cackles overhead, Crashing into the horizon. Coarse grass rustles like an infant's rattle, Caressing legs with a razor's Edge as the muck of the marsh schlops Up a foot with each step. Deep blue Waters heave toward the ocean With the sound of a trickle. Green- Brown muck cloaks everything, Waiting for departure at eighth and Manhattan.
Henry IV, Part I further shows that man must atone for his sins and that action must be present to account for the sin. For example, Hal goes to his father and redeems himself through a heartfelt apology to his father and the subsequent crushing of the rebellion. This action washes clean his previous pubcrawling ways. Hotspur pays for his rebellion through death.
Ghosts suggests that man must indeed atone for his sins. The sins of Captain Alving live on through his sons syphilis and the burning of the orphanage created in his name. Engstrand lives a live of poverty as a result of his sins. Mr. Manders is conned by Engstrand because of his pride. All of the characters in Ghosts pay some form of penalty for their transgressions.
Crime and Punishment is very clear in its message: man, without a doubt, must atone for his sin with physical and mental suffering. This is evident in Raskolnikov's mental torture, his need to be caught for his crime, and his illness surrounding the crime. Raskolnikov does not feel peace until he is caught, punished, and in prison. Although he is not happy with the outcome, he is considerably more stable once he is convicted and sent to prison.
This book is much harder to apply to the big question because right and wrong are muddled together so that no action can be seen as necessarily needing atonement. However, the character Joe is used to show the mental and social torture inflicted by the moral upon themselves in order to compensate for their wrong doing. Joe was a bystander in the beating of a young man in high school. Although he did not take part in the beating, he feels guilty for having done nothing and, because he was associated with the boys who beat the victim, was sent to juvenile hall. Joe develops a distinct dislike of the group mentality and refuses to join groups. He avoids social contact and becomes a loner so that he cannot hurt an individual for the sake of the group again. Joe is left forgotten and friendless at the end of the novel, still seeking redemption for his previous crime.
Tom Hamilton atones for his mental indiscretions as well as his physical sins through self-imposed isolation and mental humiliation. Although he never commits any particularly horrible sin, he cannot live knowing he is tempted to sin and do evil. With the death of his sister, Tom snaps and ends his sinful life to be rid of pain.
8 comments:
The following are posts that I posted on the class blogs:
Oedipus Blog:
My big question is, "must man atone for his sins (and to what degree), or can he be forgiven?"
Sophocles is rather blunt in Oedipus that man must atone for his sins, and atone in a way that is equal to his sins. Oedipus kills his father, marries his mother, and disregards the divine prophecy of the Oracle of Apollo. Consequently, he must live with the knowledge of what he has done, blind, and exiled from Greek society. Oedipus shows that man must be held accountable for his mistakes the rule of "an eye for an eye," must be followed.
Literary Essay Number 1 Blog:
In the novel, East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, the depression and suicide of Tom Hamilton is used to demonstrate the allure of sin and man's susceptibility to choosing to be conquered by sin.
Will H
September 3, 2007 1:57 PM
Ghosts Summer Reading:
I only read three books this summer, Ghosts, East of Eden by John Steinbeck, and Candide by Voltaire.
East of Eden was an excellent book. Steinbeck has a lot of talent and he effectively portrayed the frailty of humanity.
Candide was hilarious and very short, I recommend it to anyone who needs a book to read over a flight. It satirizes philosophy in a very blunt and humorous manner.
I did not read Harry Potter.
Poem:
Wind streams over a salt marsh. Biting,
Salty air burns lungs with cold.
A mangled speed limit sign flapping
In the breeze, riddled with bullet
Holes. THe bitter scent of rust hangs
In the air around street signs.
The tide gently nudges slush ashore
Islands of grass.
A flock of geese cackles overhead,
Crashing into the horizon.
Coarse grass rustles like an infant's rattle,
Caressing legs with a razor's
Edge as the muck of the marsh schlops
Up a foot with each step. Deep blue
Waters heave toward the ocean
With the sound of a trickle. Green-
Brown muck cloaks everything,
Waiting for departure at eighth
and
Manhattan.
Henry IV, Part I
Henry IV, Part I further shows that man must atone for his sins and that action must be present to account for the sin. For example, Hal goes to his father and redeems himself through a heartfelt apology to his father and the subsequent crushing of the rebellion. This action washes clean his previous pubcrawling ways. Hotspur pays for his rebellion through death.
Ghosts
Ghosts suggests that man must indeed atone for his sins. The sins of Captain Alving live on through his sons syphilis and the burning of the orphanage created in his name. Engstrand lives a live of poverty as a result of his sins. Mr. Manders is conned by Engstrand because of his pride. All of the characters in Ghosts pay some form of penalty for their transgressions.
Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment is very clear in its message: man, without a doubt, must atone for his sin with physical and mental suffering. This is evident in Raskolnikov's mental torture, his need to be caught for his crime, and his illness surrounding the crime. Raskolnikov does not feel peace until he is caught, punished, and in prison. Although he is not happy with the outcome, he is considerably more stable once he is convicted and sent to prison.
Then We Came to the End, by Joshua Ferris.
This book is much harder to apply to the big question because right and wrong are muddled together so that no action can be seen as necessarily needing atonement. However, the character Joe is used to show the mental and social torture inflicted by the moral upon themselves in order to compensate for their wrong doing. Joe was a bystander in the beating of a young man in high school. Although he did not take part in the beating, he feels guilty for having done nothing and, because he was associated with the boys who beat the victim, was sent to juvenile hall. Joe develops a distinct dislike of the group mentality and refuses to join groups. He avoids social contact and becomes a loner so that he cannot hurt an individual for the sake of the group again. Joe is left forgotten and friendless at the end of the novel, still seeking redemption for his previous crime.
East of Eden, John Steinbeck
Tom Hamilton atones for his mental indiscretions as well as his physical sins through self-imposed isolation and mental humiliation. Although he never commits any particularly horrible sin, he cannot live knowing he is tempted to sin and do evil. With the death of his sister, Tom snaps and ends his sinful life to be rid of pain.
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