Ruth's Blog for 212

Calasso Chapter 12 and Reflection

2005-12-13T10:33:00.000-08:00

Let me start off by saying that the content for this test has been much easier to study than the last two! I have enjoyed going back and reading about the group and individual presentations. While I am a bit nervous for how specific the test will be on these presentations, I am ready to get it over with!
I thought of reading another chapter in Calasso as kind of a chore (since it is going to be on the test and all), but after reading the first paragraph, it was anything but. The whole story revolves around Cadmus looking for his sister, Europa. I really enjoyed reading about the title of the book and its meaning: "The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony." I found the whole music thing as a trick to be very intruiging, along with Harmoney falling in love with a man that was based solely on someone elses description. ("She was falling in love with her friend's desire, and at the same time she went on looking around in desperation")
"So it was that the bull, like Typhon, solemnly promised Cadmus a woman, and something else as well: he would sleep with Harmony and be "savior of the cosmic harmony."
This quote from page 381 reflects the relationship between the music, and Harmony the woman. When Cadmus arrived in the Kingdom he was granted Electra's daughter... Harmony.
I was really glad that I finally got my questioning of the title of this book answered! Though there is a lot more information in chapter 12, I wanted to focus on Cadmus and Harmony, and how they came about.

To sum up my e-journal from this class, I wanted to mostly focus on what I learned. Like I underlined in my speech, I had always looked at the name Ruth as "old lady" and with no significance. While I always knew it was biblical, I never took the time to read the story behind Ruth! I wish that instead of complaining about my name to my parents, I would have took the time to research it on my own. This class has honestly given me a new appreciation for my name and I definetely needed that! I also really enjoyed looking at the biblical and classical traditions as literature and not as lessons and morals to be preached. The unbias approach Dr. Sexson took I thought was very professional and really helped me learn it in a literature context. I am very happy that I took this class and think it opened my eyes to alot of things that I was close minded with. Overall, it was an awesome experience personally and educationally!

Final Paper

2005-12-08T22:00:00.000-08:00

One who perceives the biblical and classical traditions as merely irrelevant, ancient literature could not be more incorrect. By living in Western culture, most are somewhat familiar with the biblical tradition, while the tension between the two has been somewhat lost. The tension between the biblical and classical traditions is more than just comparing a Sunday school class to watching Disney’s Hercules. These two ancient texts have had a lasting effect in history, and have continued to shape beliefs and literature to this day.
It is quite obvious to conclude that beliefs and society today would not be what they are without these traditions. One example would be the concept of death. The beliefs surrounding death differs significantly in both traditions and continues to effect our beliefs towards this formidable concept today.

But man dies, and is laid low;man breathes his last, and where is he?As waters fail from a lake,and a river wastes away and dries up,so man lies down and rises not again;till the heavens are no more he will not awake,or be aroused out of his sleep. (Job 14:10-12)

This excerpt underlines the biblical conception of death. Redemption is what truly sets the two traditions apart in regards to death. The bible underlines the belief that redemption refers to the existence of the heavens. The classical tradition on the other hand focuses largely on what is below the earth (also known as Hades). These beliefs have shaped the way people today feel towards death. Deciding between cremation and burial, and whether or not to have a funeral is a direct correlation to the beliefs of these traditions. Relationships also differ significantly between the traditions. The biblical emphasizes the importance of marriage as a lifelong bond. The classical on the other hand emphasizes having numerous spouses and relationships involving incest, which is nothing close to that of the biblical.
The roles of women in these traditions seem to be somewhat contradictory at times, but nonetheless still relevant to women today. Both traditions share a similar characteristic…both revolve around a patriarchal society. Could the story of Persephone and Demeter quite possibly be the result of the view of feminism as beautiful? And could the book of Genesis reflect the attitudes towards women throughout history? Women in centuries past have been treated inferior to men, which is a view that derived from biblical times. Eve was created from one of Adam’s ribs which many perceive as the answer to why men are superior to women. Also, Eve was the first person to betray God by eating the forbidden fruit which resulted in more negative feelings towards women. These feelings have been revealed throughout history and are unfortunately still somewhat prominent in society today.
Literature also has a direct correlation to these two traditions. Almost every piece of literature during any time period is somewhat influenced by Greek mythology or biblical stories. “Paradise Lost” by John Milton is an exceptional example of a biblical influence in British literature in the sixteenth century.
“Of Man’s First Disobedience and the Fruit
Of that Forbidden Tree, Whose mortal taste
Brought Death into the World, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful Seat,
Sing Heavenly Muse, that on the secret top
Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire
That Shepherd, who first taught the chosen seed,
In the Beginning how the Heavens and Earth
Rose out of Chaos…”

This excerpt from Milton’s “Paradise Lost” reflects the book of Genesis. The shepherd in this excerpt is Moses, who was granted the vision of the burning bush on Mount Oreb. Almost every stanza in “Paradise Lost” could be directly correlated to a book in the bible, which underlines the lasting effect that the bible has on literature. The Grapes of Wrath is also an excellent example of biblical influences. It emphasizes the lasting effect of the biblical tradition because The Grapes of Wrath was written only decades ago.
While all literature is merely a displacement of myth and should not be taken literally, it can be hard not to. The biblical and classical traditions are probably the two most famous ancient texts, and it can be hard not to take such acclaimed work literally. What is truly important though is how the individual perceives the myths. The biblical and classical traditions are more than just famous literature that is read in school or at church, they are the building blocks not only for literature, but also society. Without them we would be living in a much different society today, one that is almost unimaginable.

2005-12-04T20:55:00.000-08:00

The last few days have not only been very informative, but also very entertaining! The biblical version of the Jerri Springer show was absolutely hilarious, and my personal favorite. Im looking forward to seeing the rest of the presentations!
After doing the reading for our presentation, I found the story surrounding Judas and Jesus to be extremely interesting, but also posing some questions. Obviously my group found it interesting. (Since we did include it in our court room drama) The whole story is a famous one, and I can remember learning about it in Sunday school when I was little, but I don't ever think I have thought about it in this way before. I found it a bit weird why Judas would carry through with his betrayel even after Jesus announces at the last supper that someone was going to betray him. Could this possibly mean that Judas was destined to do it? I just wouldn't understand why he would go through with it after it was announced to all the apostles. I also find the excuse Judas gives of being "taken over by Satan" to add to the mysteriousness of this story.

2005-11-18T12:01:00.000-08:00

After reading the book of Job and discussing it in class, I have found the majority of the themes to be somewhat unpleasent and pessimistic. Though the book kept my attention and interest, the concepts of undeserved suffering and the principle of reward and punishment were quite distressing. On Monday we discussed the heart of tragedy, which is the concept that things can not get any worse. A common thought reflecting the heart of tragedy would be, "I wish I never had been born." While this theme in Job is interesting, I can't help but feel a little worse than I did before I started reading it.
Another theme we discussed in class was suffering, and that people who are TRULY innocent do not suffer. This concept was an interesting one considering how much people think about this today. In society today it is taught that "sometimes bad things happen to good people," which is probably what most people in the world beleive. Personally, I can not think of one person who has not suffered in some way... mental or physical, and I was pretty sure that these people did not to do anything to deserve this suffering. This theme in Job totally contradicts this view people today have on suffering, and leaves me with the question... what did I do to deserve all of the suffering I have experienced in my life? Eventhough I do disagree with this concept a little bit, I feel like I shouldn't because it is a biblical, which makes me think I need to beleive it. I am definitely between a rock and a hard place on this one!

2005-11-07T20:04:00.000-08:00

The last few days in class we have been discussing the concept of wisdom in Proverbs, Jobs, and Ecclesiastes. I never have really understood the different perspectives of wisdom in the bible... I always figured there was just one. After reading exerpts from each book, I realized that there are two different perspectives of wisdom. The two different perspectives include the Polonuis perspective which Proverbs belongs in, and also the Hamlet perspective which Job and Ecclesiastes belong in. (They are also catagorized as type A and type B)
The wisdom perspective in Proverbs (type A) compares acceptive and preverse and gives good examples of ampathetical parallelism. On the other hand, Jobs and Ecclesiastes reflect the Hamlet perspective. (Or type B) Both Ecclesiastes and Jobs reflect this perspective with their speculative and pessimistic definition of wisdom. Ecclesiastes especially focuses on the contradictions in life in order to teach wisdom. "A time to kill, a time to heal" basically sums up the spectulative and pessimistic approach of these two books.
I also found the concept of "new" to be somewhat interesting. I never really thought about it in that sense before... that nothing is really new. Everything that is new to me, is mearly repetition. It makes my classes seem much less appealing now, and gives me a negative view on learning. (Not a good thing!) I don't feel special now when I think I know how to do something and that Im the only one that can... because someone at sometime did it better. The reality of this concept kind of sucks!

2005-11-03T20:48:00.000-08:00

In class on Wednesday Dr. Sexson asked us what the master-plot referred to on page 221 of the Oreseia. I found the master-plot to refer to a fight. In the Classical tradition there is a lot of fighting going on that is a result of revenge. On page 221 it says...
" The master-plot that bound my wretched father, shackled his ankles, manacled his hands."
To me, this reflects actions from a fight. This is just an idea, and I am interested to see what others say about the master-plot!

Furies, Gargons, Herpies

2005-11-02T19:57:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things in class to talk about is how discusting, nasty, frightful, grotesque, monterous, and repolsive the furies are! (Those are just a few of the many adjectives that could possibly fit these creatures.)
I knew from class that they were females of retribution that were terrifying, but not supernatural. I took a look at a few of the images I found on the internet... The first three links are ones of furies. The last one of the links of Furies is one of women possibly dressing up as them for Haloween, though I think they could have gone even uglier!

http://www.semsk.kz/entert/vallejo/images/1991/furies.jpg

http://grenier2clio.free.fr/grec/image/orestes_furies.jpg

http://users.firenet.uk.com/icsteel/downloads/Furies.jpg

Gargons are a monsterous feminine creature whoes appearance would turn anyone who looked at them into stone. Here is an image that I found online that fit this description...
http://www.eselkunst.com/images/0704/gorgons_grey.jpg

Herpies were at one time beautiful winged maidens, but then turned monsterous. Here is a link I found to get a better idea of their appearance.
http://www.creatures-imaginaires.com/02_creatures/harpies/harpies_83.jpg

2005-10-30T19:20:00.000-08:00

Last week I started reading The Oresteia, and though I got off to a slow start, I found myself engaged before I even realized it. Although I find myself re-reading pages as I go along, I think I am getting a decent grasp of the reading. However, one question did come up. When Fagles is outlining the concepts on page 14... ("The house of Atreus is the embodiment of savagery." ). I was wondering what exactly Tantalus of Lydia (a barbarian) does to haunt the Oresteia? It says that he offended the gods, but that doesn't really conclude to him "haunting." Any other ideas?

Also, one specific sentence caught my attention when I first began reading.
..." saw these victories of right over might, courage over fear, freedom over servitude, moderation over arrogance."
This sentence describes the feelings of the Greeks and Athenians had after their fights. It not only relates to their situations, but also to many things to my life. Pretty much any situation could relate to this sentence. When I find myself in a bad situation, plugging these words through my head could definitely help me out!

The Man Who Became A River

2005-10-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

"The greatest of rivers for the volume of water passing through it, and the most pleasing to the eye."
This quote is from the story about alpheus, taken from chapter six in Colasso. It basically sums up the ending of this specific episode in this chapter.
Alpheus was a hunter who fell in love with a goddess named Artemis and began to follow her all around Greece. The Goddess could hear the footsteps, but all she did was laugh. Artemis began to grow irratated with the continuous attention she received from Alpheus, so at their feast, she and her nymphs smeared their faces with clay. This was a disguise so that Alpheus would not be able to distinguish her from her nymphs. He did not even have the opportunity to follow through with his planned out rape. "He went away with out acheiving his goal."
Though Artemis was not fond of Alpheus, she let him go unharmed. (She usually had men torn to pieces by her dog.) The smearing of her face serves to stave off this unwanted event. She simply avoided being abused by looking like her nymphs.
"She had demonstrated to this rash and ignorant man the elusive and insurmountable distance between woman and goddess: and all it had taken was a bit of clay." She was recognized just a woman instead of as the confident goddess that she was.
Though she felt a bit of angst towards Alpheus, she still felt the need to protect him. But since she was a virgin goddess, she could not give him herself, so she gave him one of her nymphs named Artheusa. Alpheus and Artheusa fell in love and both decided to become nature to profess their love for eachother. Arthelusa became a freshwater spring, while Alpheus turned into a river.
" He was the only lover who, when is beloved turned to water, agreed to become water himself."
I really enjoyed this episode from the sixth chapter in Colasso because I thought it underlined some interesting feelings, especially love.

Frye's Furnace

2005-10-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

Relating to the Furnace chaper in Northrop Frye, the concept of "nothing" was quite intriguing.

"What did God make the world from, or out of? The orthodox answer is... out of nothing."

This quote emphasized the concept of "nothing," which was a term I never quite thought about in this way. When I think about the word nothing, and all of the contexts it could possibly be used in, never once did I relate it to the creation of humans. Frye definitely caught my attention when he talked about the concept of creation as a metaphor drawn from human process and emphasized the point that humans cannot be created out of nothing. It is puzzling to think about humans being made from from "Nothing," but yet the product of anything and nothing is still nothing. I also never thought of the word nothing having two meanings. When I see the word in context I think of it always in its simplist form of "no thing." But reading about this new meaning, I learned that the meaning depends solely on the "N"... either uppercase or lowercase. The lowercase version means "not anything," and the uppercase means "something called nothing."

Story of Joseph and

2005-10-11T20:52:00.000-07:00

While reviewing for the quiz, I came across the story of Joseph. I found the story to be interesting while learning about it in class, but never got around to writing anything about it. The scene where Jacob (Joseph's father) is fighting a divine being I found not only a bit uncanny, but also engaging. It is a bit strange that by fighting a divine being (angel), one could get his name changed. In the context of this story, it is a sign of great strength and power. Was Jacob just not a masculine enough name that it needed to be upgraded to Israel? The story also emphasises the concept of brotherly jealousy. Joseph was the youngest son of Jacob, and therefor got more attention than his eleven siblings. His brothers despised him for the attention he got, and especially after Jacob gave him the robe with many colors on it. The brothers felt the only way to get back at him was to throw him in a well to die. They did so, but soon after Joseph was rescued by one of his brothers who suffered from a guilty conscience. The story of Joseph also articulates the moral and legal duties brothers have. At the time, the legal duty of the brother-in-law when the brother dies is to impregnate his wife. On the moral level, brotherly duties consist more of the negatives of jealousy and the upside of guilt.

Women In the Bible

2005-10-09T20:06:00.000-07:00

After the last two class lectures on women in the bible, I realized much was actually kept from me in Sunday School class! Though many of the stories we discussed were graphic and a bit disturbing, I found them to be extremely interesting. I had this notion before hand that women were not written about in the heroic and powerful sense, but the fifth story in Judges made me beleive otherwise. In Judges 19, hospitality was more important to the men than the safety of their women. The roles were definitely reversed in Judges five. Jael kills Sisera by stabbing him in the head with her tent pole. (This is the reversal of the rape imagery in the previous story)
I also found the story about Deborah somewhat uplifting. Many would think of the Judges as being men but Deborah is a judge, which is a role that is similar to a God. She has the capacity to know what God desires.
I thought the last two classes were extremely intersting and was definitely pleased with the information I got. It was a nice change!

Ejournal Response

2005-09-26T23:17:00.000-07:00

After reading through various responses from the class in their ejournals, i came across one by Jennifer that I found to be very insightful and extremely interesting!Her post was related to frye and his explanation of the "Bicameral Mind." Jennifer's voice throughout was very personable and convincing. Basically, Frye was emphasizing that people before the Illiad and The Odyssey were not as intellectually there as we are today. Her opinions of the development of mental capacity over the years emphasized that people are born the way they are by basically a master creator, while on the other hand Frye is stating that people just suddenly "turned a switch on" changing their intellect. I found her opinions and ideas interesting, but yet controversial, which makes the discussion of these topics somewhat fun! And in no way Jennifer did I think you were being condescending... it is okay to feel strongly about something.

Northrop Frye: Boring, But Not

2005-09-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

Sarting a new book is one of the few things in my life that I spend a great deal of preparation on. Though it sounds ridiculous, it saves me guilt when I don't complete a book. Starting to read a book and not finishing is something that I have never done, and that I will never do, so before opening the book at all I make sure it is one that I will enjoy.
Unfortunetely, I didn't have the choice of choosing to read Northrop Frye. The first couple pages were blah blah to me, but after re-reading them I realized that Frye's over intelligent writing was something I actually didn't mine reading! A lot of sentences caught my eye and made me really think about the meaning, but one in particular was worth spending more than a few seconds pondering:

"The ideological world as such, then, tends to become a world of the human and the non-human, and nothing that is personal in it outside the human." (p 21)

Though the meaning of this sentence was not one-hundred percent clear, I found it very inspirational. Every second of every day different events occur, but isn't it interesting that the only time people give a second thought to anything is when it has to do with another human? My interpretation of this passage reflects the vision and philosophies people have of the world. When a disaster happens, it only gets world/nationwide coverage when it is tragic to humans. Damaging the Earth or killing animals is okay, but when human life is effected, that is when people actually care. I feel there are negatives and positives to the world of the human and world of the non-human. The power, love, and compassion humans feel towards other humans is something very unique and the thing that makes life worth living. On the other hand, it is a self-absorbed obsession that is effecting anything non-human.

2005-09-06T18:00:00.000-07:00

My other blog didn't work, so we'll see if I did this right this time!