Reflection

There are many common themes in the works that we have studied this semester. One theme is love; this theme is shown in Madame Butterfly, the Marriage of Figaro, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Vanessa. We see the difference between a 'culture of shame' (Madame Butterfly) and a 'culture of guilt' (The Iliad). The Greeks and the Romans would rather live one glorious day then a life of mediocre work, and this is seen in The Iliad and the Oresteia. Dramatic irony played a big role in many of the works we studied. It was in Vanessa, when she was confessing her love to the wrong man. It was in Madame Butterfly, when the audience was able to Pinkerton for a fool who was only using Butterfly and Butterfly, who was in love with him, couldn't see his intentions and waited for him.
I prefer the blog postings when compared to daily quizzes. The postings help me better because I have to read the whole work and then answer questions and/or summarize that work. It's also helpful when we have to compare two works, it gives different views on the works.
I prefer the blog postings to formal essays. The blog postings act as informal essays, being on the internet gives students access to many different sources of information. This allows students to get many different views and versions of a piece of work, and be able to compare the difference.
I like that the blog is portable. I like being able to show my friends and family all that I have done for my humanities class. It is also posted on my personal webpage in case anyone wanted to look or follow my blogs. It will be a good tool for the future, I could use it as a reference for another class or show an employer of some of my work done during college.

Aristotle's Theory of Tragedy in the Poetics

Tragedy- an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of certain magnitude that includes arousing pity and fear. There are six parts to a tragedy: Plot, Characters, Diction, Thought, Spectacle, and Melody.
Simple Plot- have only a change in fortune (catastrophe).
Complex Plot-(Preferred by Aristotle) have reversal of intention (peripeteia) and recognition (anagnorisis) with the catastrophe.
Hamartia- tragic mistake
Katharsis- purging. Aristotle uses the term in a medical way, referring to purging of the emotions pity and fear.
Deus ex machine- an unsolvable problem is suddenly solved by an unexpected intervention.

Sir Francis Bacon, "Of Fortune"/St. Augustine of Hippo, "On Fate"

Fate's Warning- Iron Maiden
why is it some of us are destined to stay alive
and some of us are here just so that we'll die
how come the bullet hits the other guy
do we have to try and reason why

be it the devil or be it him
you can count on just one thing
when the time is up you'll know
not just one power runs the show

are we the lucky ones saved for another day
or they the lucky ones who are taken away
is it a hand on your shoulder from the lord above
or the devil himself come to give you a shove

a volcano erupts and sweeps a town away
a hurricane devastates the cities in its way
the grief and misery for the ones that are left behind
the worst is yet to come a hell to face mankind
Lyrics provided by www.sing365.com


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr_2Kl6KF-4

St. Augustine would agree with the song because the song talks about fate being controlled by God, and sometimes by the devil. If it is the will of God for you to live or to die, then that is your fate already set in stone by a higher power.

The Iliad, books 22, 23, 24

After the death of Patroclus, Achilles has lost his humanity. He no longer spares and sells captured Trojans, he kills them without regret. He kills without compassion and is filled with hate, he goes in to a 'killing frenzy'. ". . .Like a spirit from hell bent on slaughter. He struck over and over, in a widening spiral. Hideous groans rose from the wounded, and the river turned crimson with blood." (page 404, the Iliad, translated by Stanley Lombardo). Achilles becomes crazy with the thought of killing Trojans, it becomes an obsession for him. "All of you Trojans will die like that. . .No, you'll all die, die ugly deaths, until you have paid for the Greeks' loss, for Patroclus dead, killed by the ships while I was away." (page 407). Zeus sends Achilles mother, Thetis, to reason with her son. She tells him to give the body of Hector back to Priam for ransom and to not be so grieved stricken. Iris goes to Priam and she to give ransom for his son, and to appeal to Achilles noble father and beautiful mother to soften his heart. Achilles knows it is the will of Zeus to give back the body of Hector because Priam would not have been able to make it into the Greek camp with the help of an immortal. Achilles' humanity is restored when he decides to take the ransom and prepare Hector's body for Priam.

The Iliad, books 1, 9, 16 and 17

The Iliad begins in medias res, which means in the middle. Taking place during the Trojan War, it tells of the events during the weeks of an arguement between Agamemnon and Achilles. Achilles was born to the nymph Thetis and Peleus, the king of the Myrmidons. Thetis is the daughter of the sea-god Nereus. Briseis, mistress of Achilles, a woman captured Lyrnessos, a small town in the territory of Troy, and awarded to Achilles as a prize; Agamemnon takes Briseis from Achilles after Agamemnon's mistress is giving back to her father in Book 1 and Achilles withdraws from battle as a result. Kleos is the concept of glory earned in heroic battle. Time is the concept denoting the respectability an honourable man accrues with accomplishment, per his station in life. Kleos apthiton is an undying fame, usually earned after death. A paradox is a logical statement or group of statements that lead to a contradiction or a situation which (if true) defies logic or reason, similar to circular reasoning. To achieve immortal glory a warrior had to kill or die, heroically, often doing both. The paradox is that undying fame could only be gained by dying - or inflicting death on others. This paradox raises issues that were vividly illustrated by the case of Achilles. Achilles and Patroclus are portrayed as more than friends. Patroclus, wearing Achilles' armor, is killed in battle by Hector, who thought it was Achilles. Hector takes Achilles' armor that Patroclus is wearing; this leaves Achilles armor less.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ux3-a9RE1Q
The Cover of the Rolling Stone- Dr. Hook

Brief history of the Trojan War

The war originated from a quarrel between the goddesses Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite, after Eris, the goddess of discord, gave them a golden apple, sometimes known as the Apple of Discord, marked for the fairest. Zeus sent the goddesses to Paris, who judged that Aphrodite was the fairest (who promised him the most beautiful woman), should receive the apple. In exchange, Aphrodite made Helen, the most beautiful of all women and wife of Menelaus, fall in love with Paris, who took her to Troy. Gods and goddesses are self-centered, selfish and corrupt. They are self-centered because each goddess believes she deserves the golden apple. They are selfish because they will do anything to be chosen and they're corrupt because they try to bribe Paris. If these were my gods and goddesses, I would be rather disappointed. They should be the ones to set the moral and ethical code and conduct. I think Gerard Butler would have played a good Achilles because is buff, can kick butt, and looks like he is from the Mediterranean.
Helen of Troy
  






























Gerard Butler

Story of Joseph King James Verison/Koran

 Israel's favoritism toward Joseph caused his half brothers to hate him, and when Joseph was seventeen years old he had two dreams that made his brothers plot his demise. In the first dream, Joseph and his brothers gathered bundles of grain. Then, all of the grain bundles that had been prepared by the brothers gathered around Joseph's bundle and bowed down to it. In the second dream, the sun (father), the moon (mother) and eleven stars (brothers) bowed down to Joseph himself. When he told these two dreams to his brothers, they despised him for the implications that the family would be bowing down to Joseph. They became jealous that their father would even ponder over Joseph's words concerning these dreams. While serving in Potiphar's household Yahweh was with Joseph so that he prospered in everything he did. Joseph found favor in the sight of Potiphar and so he became his personal servant. Then Joseph was promoted to oversee Potiphar's entire household as a superintendent. After some time, Potiphar's wife began to desire Joseph and sought to have an affair with him. Despite her persistence, he refused to have sex with her for fear of sinning against God. After some days of begging for him, she grabbed him by his cloak, but he escaped from her leaving his garment behind. Angered by his running away from her, she took his garment and made a false claim against him by charging that he tried have sex with her. This resulted in Joseph being thrown into prison. Joseph is an epic hero because he over comes all kinds of trials and, through Yahweh, is able to predict the future through the Pharoh's dreams. Joseph said to store grain for seven years while crops were plentiful and this would let the people of Egypt to survive for the seven years of famine to follow. All the people of Egypt and all the people of the surrounding areas are affected by Joseph's decision. People from the surrounding areas are coming to Egypt to buy grain because they're in famine too. Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to buy grain and they are unaware of who they are talking to you until Joseph tells them. They are shocked to see their brother doing so well in Egypt and that he is to see over all the land of Egypt.

The King James Verison of the Story of Joseph is 340 or so versus and approximately 8000 words. The Koran verison is 100 versus and has less than 1200 words. The Koran does not leave anything important out but it doesn't use any formal names except for Joseph and Jacob.