the role of women is very strange in the metamorphoses. women are either virgins who are trying to escape a god's force, or they are haneous jealous bitches. And sadly enough the only normal ones are raped and ostracized. Look at Callisto for example. She is normal until Jove rapes her; then, unable to hide her pregnancy she is banned from the nymph clan without even being given the chance to explain the situation. Even the gods portray this. Juno is possibly the worst with all her jealousy. Io, perfectly innocent, is raped by Jove; then, Juno takes her revenge in spite of the fact that she had nothing to do with it. I suppose its called rape because she didn't want it. Juno had no right but took vengeance anyway.
I'm sure feminists have a field day with these stories showing the sexism and what have you.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Crazy Love. I do mean crazy
I think another aspect besides sex control and fidelity that has shifted in our modern time compared with the past is the notion of love. I look at the story of cupid and psyche to explain this. In the story she kills her sister and does unthinkable feats for the gods in the name of love. Now? no way. i think people are just plain lazy, and if there's that much work involved, they say, "well out of 6 billion people I'll take my chances on falling in love with someone else." I'm trying to put it in perspective but i suppose I've never loved someone so much i would mislead and kill my siblings for that love. but then again maybe if my lady friend was the unattainable female counterpart of cupid, perfect in every way (don't let her know i think she isn't) i would be able to master these feats. but I don't know. Even then i still love my family just as much, maybe even more likely to do horrible deeds for their love.
The Lion King
No story is unique huh? well what about the lion king? a revolutionary Disney movie indeed. the story is shockingly similar to Oedipus's story, though he doesn't actually kill his father. the part about scar ruining the community with his tyranny, and there are also elements of decent story with the elephant graveyard.
if you're interested in other cinema representations of mythology check out
http://library.thinkquest.org/C005854/text/movies.htm
it'll blow your mind
if you're interested in other cinema representations of mythology check out
http://library.thinkquest.org/C005854/text/movies.htm
it'll blow your mind
Rape and heros
I have been brooding on the argument i had with my mom a couple weeks ago, where she stated that violence and art are linked. Other than me finding this just ludicrously false, i don't know why its been picking at me. but i went to a couple of websites to see if i could get a glimpse of her point of view. One was called moviesthattrigger.com (i know it sounds ridiculous, but it exists). This sight basically shows a list of movies that have rape scenes in them, and draw a link between actual sexual violence. now i just won't believe that. from all the rape scenes I've watched I'd say the exact opposite is true. For the most part cinema shows sexual violence for the ugly monster it is. I really don't think people are that suggestible, or easily misled. maybe these website creators need to watch the Sopranos Dr. Melfi rape scene and realign their thinking.
Violence and the eterneties
Many people have said that violence in the media is correlated to violence among young people, and would like to see this violence decreased or censored. I argue that violence is timeless, and is no worse now than in the past, it is simply easier to access by a broader audience. The desire to have violence censored is misguided, because violence has a desensitizing capability. Violence in media is a catharsis to the reality of violence in our day to day lives. I hate to put too fine a point on it, but we should thank violence in media for exposing us to violence that we will never have to (hopefully) personally know, and allowing those feelings to vent even if only subconsciously. In explanation, works such as Ovid’s metamorphoses and even the bible use violence to control people’s actions, yet still convey a moral message. This same control can be observed in modern media such as COPS and CNN, but such notions are even noticeable in popular violent video games such as Grand Theft Auto. Violence in media is not really the problem; the problem lies in people’s fear of feelings and their unwillingness to purge said feelings.
It is very convenient for us in this time to think that acts of violence were somehow different and justified in the past because of the militaristic nature of their society. The media then was simply a way to desensitize people to the inevitable violence of the times. But what’s changed? Don’t we live in a country that spends more on its military than all the countries in the UN combined? Don’t we as a society have more weapons than any other country in the world? Yes, we do. So maybe we are all looking at media violence the wrong way. If we have the largest military in the world and use it, then the images of violence on TV and in video games are simply getting our society ready to do what it does best. It’s also important to remember the way we receive violence from the media as means to understanding its prevalence in our culture.
We should explore how violence is portrayed in media then compared with now. Modern media uses violence the same way Bacchus uses brutal violence to instill fear and respect from mortals. After all anyone who’s played GTA knows you can’t go on a 5 star murder and destruction bender without getting killed by the cops; that’s like real life, so what’s the message? The metamorphoses are no different, in that a mortal cannot challenge a god without consequences, or possibly gruesome death.
Often in classical literature the nature of these violent acts is masked by a messenger, or hidden in poetic prose, rather than a vile firsthand experience of it. That is rather refreshing from our modern media which is so blunt, but nonetheless it is still very much the same; we just call the tasteless messenger Fox News, CNN, MTV, or videogames. And there’s nothing different in the way they tell of brutality: without regard for emotion, twisted and uncensored. It’s actually rather surprising that people are so against it when it becomes something of a catharsis for feelings towards violence. I’m not dismissing real acts of heinous violence by way of catharsis, but at least seeing depictions of violence is a way of coping with the reality that violence exists. Even now very real depictions of violence return home from Iraq in the form of images on TV, in time magazine, or any of our favorite media centers. This proves that Sparagmos has not changed, only the medium for showing it by way of technology. Basically Technology is the victim of criticism in the argument that violence in media is related to real violence because violence is a timeless concept.
An act of extreme violence that has littered the literature of the classical realm, as well as the present is rape. There are several instances in the metamorphoses that depict rape as well as its aftermath. Some would call sexual violence in media a “triggering mechanism” for rape; however, I refuse to believe that that a person is not capable of rape without the so called trigger. Just like any other act of aggression, the person is predisposed to it because of socioeconomic factors or childhood abuse rather than violence in media. Media is the scapegoat for people who fear violence, and have no way of purging their fear.
Rape is committed in classical literature by even some of the most heroic and powerful characters. Jupiter for example, is basically the rape king, but it seems unlikely that Tereus drew his uncontrollable urge to rape Philomela from Jupiter’s prior rape of whomever (and even for a god he did a lot of raping). People have a lot of nerve saying that in this time (retrospectively one of the most peaceful times the planet has known) that simple portrayals of violence are linked to or cause violence. If someone has the potential for rape, then media makes no difference; it will be “triggered” somehow, and it’s silly to blame everything on the media, when it has way more to do with personal circumstances. And even still, in all of its horror, it is important to remember that seeing violence like this in media makes it easier to cope with its reality.
So after I skimmed through a few of the metamorphoses, I wrangled a couple quality hours of gangsta blastin and “real TV”, and what did I learn? Well, I learned that I can’t go out shooting people without a whole swill of blue and red flashing attention, and high speed chases through residential neighborhoods end in DUIs or even worse first hand taser lessons. With those examples representing a few media portrayals of violence, who is going to tell me that violence in the media makes me more likely to be violent? As a matter of fact, based on what I saw on TV, I’ll probably leave my guns at home when I go out next time, and I’ll try my hardest get a DD to drive my stolen car. Similarly, (even if we only call the metamorphoses a mock epic), it still makes a man think before he challenges authority (especially divine authority). He’d say, “Just look at what happened to Pentheus or Arachne. What is the cost of pride?” One can even look at God this way considering the plagues of Egypt or the story of Job and his plight. Does anyone dare question the wrath of god like Ramses did? Well, even though I really think a locust coat would accent my features, and I like the way the gentle breeze kisses an open sore, it’s probably not something I’d gamble with.
Some people speak of peace like its just one Red Cross parachute prevision box away, and all I can do is chuckle. Based on the idea that what is past possess the present, I’d say they’re being painfully optimistic. Violence has existed forever, in Ovid’s time and our present; the idea that it can simply be unlearned and forgotten is impossible. Even Plato would agree we may have forgotten how to be violent, but we will relearn it forever. Due to the constancy of violence across time, media cannot be claimed responsible, and, at the very least it’s comforting to know that if I need a little release all I have to do is flip on the tube, and pow! Catharsis. Though many horrible things will surely happen in my lifetime it is important to remember that my story is not unique. If it has happened it will happen again, and again, and again; all we can do is abide.
It is very convenient for us in this time to think that acts of violence were somehow different and justified in the past because of the militaristic nature of their society. The media then was simply a way to desensitize people to the inevitable violence of the times. But what’s changed? Don’t we live in a country that spends more on its military than all the countries in the UN combined? Don’t we as a society have more weapons than any other country in the world? Yes, we do. So maybe we are all looking at media violence the wrong way. If we have the largest military in the world and use it, then the images of violence on TV and in video games are simply getting our society ready to do what it does best. It’s also important to remember the way we receive violence from the media as means to understanding its prevalence in our culture.
We should explore how violence is portrayed in media then compared with now. Modern media uses violence the same way Bacchus uses brutal violence to instill fear and respect from mortals. After all anyone who’s played GTA knows you can’t go on a 5 star murder and destruction bender without getting killed by the cops; that’s like real life, so what’s the message? The metamorphoses are no different, in that a mortal cannot challenge a god without consequences, or possibly gruesome death.
Often in classical literature the nature of these violent acts is masked by a messenger, or hidden in poetic prose, rather than a vile firsthand experience of it. That is rather refreshing from our modern media which is so blunt, but nonetheless it is still very much the same; we just call the tasteless messenger Fox News, CNN, MTV, or videogames. And there’s nothing different in the way they tell of brutality: without regard for emotion, twisted and uncensored. It’s actually rather surprising that people are so against it when it becomes something of a catharsis for feelings towards violence. I’m not dismissing real acts of heinous violence by way of catharsis, but at least seeing depictions of violence is a way of coping with the reality that violence exists. Even now very real depictions of violence return home from Iraq in the form of images on TV, in time magazine, or any of our favorite media centers. This proves that Sparagmos has not changed, only the medium for showing it by way of technology. Basically Technology is the victim of criticism in the argument that violence in media is related to real violence because violence is a timeless concept.
An act of extreme violence that has littered the literature of the classical realm, as well as the present is rape. There are several instances in the metamorphoses that depict rape as well as its aftermath. Some would call sexual violence in media a “triggering mechanism” for rape; however, I refuse to believe that that a person is not capable of rape without the so called trigger. Just like any other act of aggression, the person is predisposed to it because of socioeconomic factors or childhood abuse rather than violence in media. Media is the scapegoat for people who fear violence, and have no way of purging their fear.
Rape is committed in classical literature by even some of the most heroic and powerful characters. Jupiter for example, is basically the rape king, but it seems unlikely that Tereus drew his uncontrollable urge to rape Philomela from Jupiter’s prior rape of whomever (and even for a god he did a lot of raping). People have a lot of nerve saying that in this time (retrospectively one of the most peaceful times the planet has known) that simple portrayals of violence are linked to or cause violence. If someone has the potential for rape, then media makes no difference; it will be “triggered” somehow, and it’s silly to blame everything on the media, when it has way more to do with personal circumstances. And even still, in all of its horror, it is important to remember that seeing violence like this in media makes it easier to cope with its reality.
So after I skimmed through a few of the metamorphoses, I wrangled a couple quality hours of gangsta blastin and “real TV”, and what did I learn? Well, I learned that I can’t go out shooting people without a whole swill of blue and red flashing attention, and high speed chases through residential neighborhoods end in DUIs or even worse first hand taser lessons. With those examples representing a few media portrayals of violence, who is going to tell me that violence in the media makes me more likely to be violent? As a matter of fact, based on what I saw on TV, I’ll probably leave my guns at home when I go out next time, and I’ll try my hardest get a DD to drive my stolen car. Similarly, (even if we only call the metamorphoses a mock epic), it still makes a man think before he challenges authority (especially divine authority). He’d say, “Just look at what happened to Pentheus or Arachne. What is the cost of pride?” One can even look at God this way considering the plagues of Egypt or the story of Job and his plight. Does anyone dare question the wrath of god like Ramses did? Well, even though I really think a locust coat would accent my features, and I like the way the gentle breeze kisses an open sore, it’s probably not something I’d gamble with.
Some people speak of peace like its just one Red Cross parachute prevision box away, and all I can do is chuckle. Based on the idea that what is past possess the present, I’d say they’re being painfully optimistic. Violence has existed forever, in Ovid’s time and our present; the idea that it can simply be unlearned and forgotten is impossible. Even Plato would agree we may have forgotten how to be violent, but we will relearn it forever. Due to the constancy of violence across time, media cannot be claimed responsible, and, at the very least it’s comforting to know that if I need a little release all I have to do is flip on the tube, and pow! Catharsis. Though many horrible things will surely happen in my lifetime it is important to remember that my story is not unique. If it has happened it will happen again, and again, and again; all we can do is abide.
One minute ovid (many days late)
Atalanta was a damn foxy lady, but she was told by an oracle that she couldn't marry. Aside from being a damn foxy lady, she was a super fast. she decided that if anyone purposed that she would simply beat them in a foot race and wouldn't have to marry them. also they would die for trying. Hippomenes was a good looking fella, and he wanted Atalanta bad. knowing the danger of racing her and fearing for his life he asked Venus for a little help. She agreed to help him win the race. all he had to do was throw a golden apple off the path every time she got ahead of him. so after the third and heaviest apple was thrown he won the race, and they got hitched. Venus was super pissed that hippomenes didn't thank her for all her help so when the two were at a shrine later she put a spell on them both that made them uncontrollably horny and they bumped uglies right on the shrine. When Hera found out they had defiled a shirne she turned them both into lions.
O vengeful god
Revenge is a common theme in the metamorphoses that is generally a motive for the gods liberal transforming. Most of the transforming has to do with broken promises or whatever. One act of vengence struck me as odd though. In the story of Mercury and Battus, Mercury tests the chatterbox's word by offering more than his previous reward for more information concerning the missing herd. this seems strange because looking at the situation it appears that mercury wanted him to tattle. he seemed to enjoy his revenge.
I suppose its not wrong to enjoy revenge, but this was almost unethical. it was like ancient entrapment. Past posseses the present. Cops do it all the time today.
I suppose its not wrong to enjoy revenge, but this was almost unethical. it was like ancient entrapment. Past posseses the present. Cops do it all the time today.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
losing religion
The idea of questioning faith doesn't come up very often in ancient literature. Probably because they fear the same fate as Arachne or Pentheus. Hecuba questions her faith as a prisoner, but its nothing compared with modern atheism. I find it interesting that people have basically stopped interpreting the lessons literally when they claim to believe in the repercussions of not believing so strongly. Many christians pick and chose what they want to believe to make it nice and convenient, with little regard for morality. maybe its our modern times that dictate was is probable that explains why so many people don't believe. but god forbid any gay person be allowed to marry.
Maybe i got it wrong and people were just as defiant of their own belief system then as they are now. but judging by the violent repercussions of defiance i don't know who would have the balls.
Maybe i got it wrong and people were just as defiant of their own belief system then as they are now. but judging by the violent repercussions of defiance i don't know who would have the balls.
Modern man in Lysistrata
Though the play Lysistrata is hilarious in its idea that women can use sex to control even the most powerful of men, that idea may not be so useful today. Maybe comedian Ron White said it best, "I'm a good dog, but if you never pet me, I won't stay on the porch." It seems that the idea of fidelity today is far less a priority than it was then. Just look at situations like Bill Clinton, either he isn't getting any or his manhood works overtime; judging by what an ice queen Hildog is, I'd guess the first. I'd say the past possesses the present most of the time, but some things progress to different understandings. Point in fact: Paris Hilton. Never before relatively modern times was looking and acting like a dumb drunk slut admirable. but somebody is buying into all her crap or she wouldn't be famous.
Or maybe infidelity has always existed to this degree, and the fact that people have more freedom now allows them to make it plain.
Or maybe infidelity has always existed to this degree, and the fact that people have more freedom now allows them to make it plain.
Punishment and reward
The story of Phaethon puzzles me. In most of the metamorphoses transformation is either a punishment for bad deeds or a reward for valiant ones. But Phaethon's ignorance and stubbornness is only punished by his death, and his sisters are forced to bear the transformation. When in context this is basically the story of a modern drunk driving accident.
Phaethon was a lowly worker at the local walmart. After a few too many drinks at the Bacchus Pub, he hears that his father is a CEO of a huge worldwide company. It doesn't seem possible he thought. he text messages his mother, a former prostitute who affirms this rumor, but he is still skeptical. He decides to go to the CEO's mansion and learn first hand. The CEO tells him it is true he his father. Still unconvinced he asks to drive the CEO's sunfire yellow Ferrari, thinking that no one in his right mind would allow a drunk Walmart employee drive his badass car unless he really was a close relative. Reluctantly he tosses the key to Phaethon. In a drunken rampage worthy of a CNN chopper chase, he drives the car too close to the police station and gets chased until he crashes into giant tree. Dead on the pavement his sisters mourn him.
no story is unique i guess.
Phaethon was a lowly worker at the local walmart. After a few too many drinks at the Bacchus Pub, he hears that his father is a CEO of a huge worldwide company. It doesn't seem possible he thought. he text messages his mother, a former prostitute who affirms this rumor, but he is still skeptical. He decides to go to the CEO's mansion and learn first hand. The CEO tells him it is true he his father. Still unconvinced he asks to drive the CEO's sunfire yellow Ferrari, thinking that no one in his right mind would allow a drunk Walmart employee drive his badass car unless he really was a close relative. Reluctantly he tosses the key to Phaethon. In a drunken rampage worthy of a CNN chopper chase, he drives the car too close to the police station and gets chased until he crashes into giant tree. Dead on the pavement his sisters mourn him.
no story is unique i guess.
Monday, March 30, 2009
An Imaginary Life
An imaginary life is relevant to foundations of literature for a couple reasons. In the spirit of the past possessing the present, i think there is a connection to be made. Probably the clearest connection i can see here is the idea that language makes people who they are. then and now. That could be language like Ovid's: the actual perfection of the art of writing in rhetoric to create fascinating stories, or it could be language like the child's: the intonation with nature, and the ability to understand its workings. I think there is also a connection to this class by looking at the idea of education. Even in despair like Ovid's at the beginning of the novel when he is nothing more than a bumbling old man, seemingly crazy, there is structure of knowledge. it may seem hopeless but, there is only time to gain knowledge.
Something else i would like to point out is the idea of transformation. Ovid rides the exile as a vessel taking him from a bitter old man, to one having complete understanding and "oneness" with the universe. In a broader sense you could interpret this as a metaphor for education, and that though something seems to be wrong or bad, may transform you into something else entirely via knowledge of that and of yourself.
Something else i would like to point out is the idea of transformation. Ovid rides the exile as a vessel taking him from a bitter old man, to one having complete understanding and "oneness" with the universe. In a broader sense you could interpret this as a metaphor for education, and that though something seems to be wrong or bad, may transform you into something else entirely via knowledge of that and of yourself.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Revenge as a question to the authenticity of religion
It is interesting that in many creation stories there are floods. Not only are there floods, but the floods are usually an act of vengeance. In Christianity's case, because man attempted to reach heaven. In Ovid's Metamorphoses, similarly men attempted to reach the realm of the gods. Then as an act of vengeance towards the human race the gods/god wipe out the human race. the fact that both of these stories have stunning parallels calls to question the possibility that religions such as Christianity and other creation stories that include the idea of "the great flood" perhaps stole the idea from Greek literature.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Beauty on the inside?
About 4 months ago my girlfriend and I got into an argument regarding ugliness. Conflict between men and women? We argued for an absurd amount of time given that no conclusion can be reached on the topic. Almost all people are bound by a few things: birth, death, and sex. Damn what is there to argue about right? Well, she states that sex is common because people have soul mates. Hogwash. In this scientific world the idea of a soul mate is laughable, because it is impossible to find just on solitary person you would call a soul mate. People have hundreds of potential soul mates, and how do we find them? Physical attraction, and yes its true, in some cases what makes a person attractive is projected and not explicit. I know because I used to love a land beast of a woman and my attraction was no less grounded than with a superhotsupermodel.
The argument revolved around the idea that there is an exact someone for everyone. I had to be tactful in the way of conducting this argument because for me to say there isn't implies that I ought not be with her. So I construct, in my most diplomatic tone, the basis for attraction.
"Paige, I am attracted to you obviously for your wit and mirroring interests to my own. You being a fox has far less to do with it." WOW the diplomatic sarcasm paradox! What a load of bullshit. Had Paige been a bumbling chub monster, i do not feel the forces of the cosmos would have still lead me to her door. However that is not to say true love doesn't exist between us just because she happens to be attractive. it simply means nothing is fixed. If you want true love you have to work hard for it. you won't find it just because God, whoever that is, has preordained you to find that person. I then took a moment this moment to remind the her that there are 6 billion people on the planet, of which you would be lucky to meet a minute fraction... So you only meet soul mates through a filter of economic, geographic, religious, or political factors? NO! everybody is reading too much into it. its just an urge of sex. 1. I see her 2. she's attractive 3. i ask for date 4. she says no and cleans my eyes with mace (wintery refreshing) 5. i know love does not exist between us 6. I continue to look. IF my goal is to find someone i can love, then i have 599,999,999 other options. the search continues forever in a cycle that will never end. until nuclear holocaust. We inevitably agreed to disagree based on spiritual differences, but i know she resents my love for her to this day based on this one silly argument.
The argument revolved around the idea that there is an exact someone for everyone. I had to be tactful in the way of conducting this argument because for me to say there isn't implies that I ought not be with her. So I construct, in my most diplomatic tone, the basis for attraction.
"Paige, I am attracted to you obviously for your wit and mirroring interests to my own. You being a fox has far less to do with it." WOW the diplomatic sarcasm paradox! What a load of bullshit. Had Paige been a bumbling chub monster, i do not feel the forces of the cosmos would have still lead me to her door. However that is not to say true love doesn't exist between us just because she happens to be attractive. it simply means nothing is fixed. If you want true love you have to work hard for it. you won't find it just because God, whoever that is, has preordained you to find that person. I then took a moment this moment to remind the her that there are 6 billion people on the planet, of which you would be lucky to meet a minute fraction... So you only meet soul mates through a filter of economic, geographic, religious, or political factors? NO! everybody is reading too much into it. its just an urge of sex. 1. I see her 2. she's attractive 3. i ask for date 4. she says no and cleans my eyes with mace (wintery refreshing) 5. i know love does not exist between us 6. I continue to look. IF my goal is to find someone i can love, then i have 599,999,999 other options. the search continues forever in a cycle that will never end. until nuclear holocaust. We inevitably agreed to disagree based on spiritual differences, but i know she resents my love for her to this day based on this one silly argument.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Symposium and the origin of Drinking games
Symposium was referred to as sort of forum where elder men of a society would go to discuss things of a political nature. While this was one goal of the gathering, i would go so far as to say there was a simple motive of partying involved. Dr. Rupert Thompson of Cambridge university agrees that one of the very first references to any kind of drinking game is in symposium. They played the most simplistic game imaginable, but it is still the roots of many drinking games we know today. They simply poured wine into a bowl or kylikes and drank then passed quickly. Perhaps this is the root of games we know as speed quarters or kings cup and any other communal drinking game.
Another interesting thing i discovered was the incorporation of songs into the ritual of drinking. Anybody can tell you that anything that rocks rocks harder if you're drunk; not to flog a dead horse, but all that is past possesses the present. Socrates may have been the first rock and roller or 70's style hippie, as he enjoyed parties with music drinking games and good old fashioned friendly debate.
Another interesting thing i discovered was the incorporation of songs into the ritual of drinking. Anybody can tell you that anything that rocks rocks harder if you're drunk; not to flog a dead horse, but all that is past possesses the present. Socrates may have been the first rock and roller or 70's style hippie, as he enjoyed parties with music drinking games and good old fashioned friendly debate.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Weak Sister
I am the oldest of 6 siblings, and as such I have viewed any kind of sibling relationship you can imagine. The Strong sister/weak sister relationship is very real. Usually it seems that the oldest sister would be the strong one, but in my house it was very different. the youngest of three sisters Andrea is by far the most outgoing, risk taking, and anything else that places her in a status of strong. The middle sister Shantel is second most outgoing, which leaves me to question: why would the oldest sister who has had more time to experiment, and put herself out there be the least outgoing? Baffling. Of course nothing to the degree of ismene and antigone has ever occurred in our house; however, if i were to be dead and disgraced the only one who would even thing of burying my stinking corpse against the will of authority would be Andrea.
This leads me to an interesting thought. I actually agree with Creon that his decree can not be disobeyed. While I think his decree may be a bit premature in the context of the two brothers, I still feel that as king he is responsible for laying down the law and as such he must stick to his guns. If he were to just allow antigone to bury her brother against his decree and not do anything by way of punishment, then he would relinquish control of the kingdom. I only point this out Because i feel that Creon is made out to be some sort of evil villain when in fact he is only protecting his past decree. Then again all that is past possesses the present. Looking at George W's so called war, he may have just been better off admitting guilt and wrong doing right away to avoid the catastrophic aftershock that will take our country years to recover from.
Death surrounds us all, even in things basically inconsequential such as pets, we are bound by the only universal constant of death. I have to say that I don't feel too sentimental towards animals because i've never really had any pets that lasted too long, but there is some kind of unspoken need to give ritual burial for even the smalllest of creatures in my cicrle. So in that way I agree with antigone on the burial of her brother. As a survivor of her beloved brother, should have the right to give him ritual death rights. Maybe its the times we live in, or the lack of religious sentimentality, but i still don't think someone's final rights are worth another life. As bad as it seems to leave someone you love out for the vultures, wouldn't you be forced to ask, "If Rotten McDecaying had something to say whouldn't he rather only one of us be dead instead of both?"
This leads me to an interesting thought. I actually agree with Creon that his decree can not be disobeyed. While I think his decree may be a bit premature in the context of the two brothers, I still feel that as king he is responsible for laying down the law and as such he must stick to his guns. If he were to just allow antigone to bury her brother against his decree and not do anything by way of punishment, then he would relinquish control of the kingdom. I only point this out Because i feel that Creon is made out to be some sort of evil villain when in fact he is only protecting his past decree. Then again all that is past possesses the present. Looking at George W's so called war, he may have just been better off admitting guilt and wrong doing right away to avoid the catastrophic aftershock that will take our country years to recover from.
Death surrounds us all, even in things basically inconsequential such as pets, we are bound by the only universal constant of death. I have to say that I don't feel too sentimental towards animals because i've never really had any pets that lasted too long, but there is some kind of unspoken need to give ritual burial for even the smalllest of creatures in my cicrle. So in that way I agree with antigone on the burial of her brother. As a survivor of her beloved brother, should have the right to give him ritual death rights. Maybe its the times we live in, or the lack of religious sentimentality, but i still don't think someone's final rights are worth another life. As bad as it seems to leave someone you love out for the vultures, wouldn't you be forced to ask, "If Rotten McDecaying had something to say whouldn't he rather only one of us be dead instead of both?"
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Percephone Helsinki syndrom
In the hymn to Demeter there was a couple of concepts that interested me more than just the hymn itself. the first was the idea of Persephone embracing her captor hades, when by all rights she ought to hate him. I looked into this idea, and discovered that indeed what was most definitely still is. Scientifically this is called Helsinki syndrome. basically the idea is this: the captive develops a strange bond with the captor, and in some cases is caused stress by leaving them. Interestingly enough there is an instance of this in early American literature that portrays this "syndrome" although it does not deal with lovers it is still very easy to observe the transition from hatred and resent for the captor to acceptance and even reliance. around 1675 Mary Rowlandson was captured by the Narraganset tribe with whom she was held for an extensive period of time. In the beginning of the narrative her adjectives describe the natives as savages that are cruel and relentless; however, by the end of the essay this language disappears and she is tolerant to their ways. she has accepted their ways. She even has the chance to escape just like Persephone but turns it down. The part of this that is circumstantially bounded is this: with Persephone she is attracted to hades for what ever reason, where as Rowlandson embraces her captors as she believes it to be a test from god.
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