TFA

Okonkwo's fall, while in a different context than the Western/Judeo-Christian context of our other texts, is still similar. While notions of G-d and sin are different, the elements of chi, good and evil, and fate are all present in Igbo culture. Also, in terms of the narrative, all these novels allow for storytelling and some psychological analysis that allow the reader to define a character's fall. The strange thing about Things Fall Apart is that Okonkwo does not really change. His hypermasculine anger is his tragic flaw -- it is reactionary to his idle, lazy, low-status father. And while it provides him the wealth and high status we see depicted in the first part of the novel, it is this same characteristic that results in his fall, his exile, and his suicide.

Awakening

For my final project I will be creating a wiki page for Kate Chopin's The Awakening. The fall narrative is Edna Pontellier's awakening during her vacation at Grand Isle. She becomes more in tune with herself, falling from the highly rigid social world to which she belonged. This mimics the fall of Adam and Eve in Milton's Paradise Lost, when they gain knowledge from eating the fruit and realizing their nakedness. Edna's fall is also correlated to Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, as it is a growing-up process, recognizing the stupidity of social rules and manners.

Final Project Proposal

The text I have chosen for my final project is Moby Dick by Herman Melville. The tale of Captain Ahab’s quest to kill the white sperm whale Moby Dick is a fall narrative, with Ahab himself as the fallen victim. Major themes such as man against fate help Moby Dick sit side by side with fall narratives such as John Milton's Paradise Lost and Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. My presentation will explore Captain Ahab’s fall as an individual and how the world that Herman Melville creates at sea compares to the worlds presented in Milton and Wilde’s works.

Things Fall Apart

The most fascinating thing of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is the main character Okonkwo. The intrigue in Okonkwo can be found in the various perspectives the reader can see him in. At first he is seen as possessing great strength and resolve. His rise to greatness through war and strength help portray Okonkwo as a hard working, powerful warrior. The fact that he overcame the laziness and negative stigma of his father also help present him as a hero and someone the reader can feel for. However as the novel progresses the view on Okonkwo quickly changes. His major flaw is his hot temper and fear of being perceived or seen as weak. This causes Okonkwo to act quickly and irrationally throughout the course of the story. This is seen when he refuses to help Ikemefuna (leads to his death) and how he continually beats his wives and children. Okonkwo’s greatest strength ends up leading to his fall in the end. Okonkwo’s inability to adapt to the changing times and the inevitable influence of the white people keeps him and the Umuofia back. From the outset of the novel the reader likes Okonkwo and wishes the best for the hard worker and his tribe. However by the end of the novel one cannot but help feel that Okonkwo’s death as inevitable and self inflicted.

Falls of Don Corleone and Julius Caesar

William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather are strikingly alike when put side to side. Interesting to note is the similarities between the falls of Don Corleone and Julius Caesar.
Both men are in positions of immense power and emanate honor and respect. However it is these lofty positions that provide the targets on their backs and fashion the jealousy around them. Don Corleone is almost assassinated in order to breathe new life into the mob and allow a new structure of power to take form. Caesar is killed with the intentions of “saving” the republic and ushering a new era of political power in Rome. Don Corleone and Julius Caesar are seen as figureheads for their “regimes” and are seen as necessary to eliminate in order to move forward.
The assassination of Caesar and the attempt on Don Corleone’s life both lead to political wars. The mob is divided and each family is forced to take sides. The republic is split and everyone is forced to choose either to support the conspirators or avenge Caesar’s death. In each case lines are drawn and choices are made that will affect the “political” landscape in Rome’s republic and between the families that make up the mafia.
Everyone involved in the death of Caesar and the gunning down of Don Corleone all end up dying in the end. The Corleone family (with Michael at the head) kills the rest of the family’s leaders and all those responsible and associated with the assassination attempt on his father. In Julius Caesar the conspirators one by one fall to the fate of death as Antony and Octavius claim revenge for Caesar’s death.
The patterns of each of their respective falls are almost parallel in each other as they produce the same motives and results.

JC/GF

There are many connections and similarities that can be drawn from comparing William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar to Francis Ford Copola’s “The Godfather”, most notably in similar characters and group dynamics.

Julius Caesar is murdered by conspiring senators and a New York mob family attempted to murder Don Corleone. Planning Caesar’s murder is what brings Brutus into the group of conspiring senators, while it is Don Corleone’s near death experience that brings Michael Corleone into the family business. Both Brutus and Michael are heroes, very logical about their thoughts and actions, yet both experiencing a fall. This character can be contrasted against Mark Antony and Sony Corleone because they’re lack of seriousness. They are both playboys: Antony parties and engages in sports, while Sonny gets mixed up with drugs and sleeps around.

The group of senators is similar to the Corleone family. The senators are of an elite class of Romans, and many have familial relations to one another. There is also a strong sentiment of love that senators speak of to one another. In the Corleone family, certainly there is a main family with the Don, Michael, and Sonny, who are blood related. There are also many people included in this family who are not blood related, but called brothers and uncles. They similarly talk of love between men in this group. The group of senators has an allegiance to Rome, while the Corleone family also has an allegiance to their home in Italy, despite having immigrated to America.

The similar characters and group dynamics in these two dramatic pieces demonstrate that Julius Caesar could have had a strong influence on “The Godfather”.

Act IV

In Act IV of Julius Caesar, characters call upon the images of animals to depict a lower ranking of another person. Antony doubts that Lepidus is worthy of being a major military and political leader, confiding in Octavius that “This is a slight, unmeritable man,/ Meet to be sent on errands…” (4.1.14-15). Antony then compares Lepidus to a donkey, “He shall but bear them as the ass bears gold” (4.1.24), implying that he accepts their biddings without thought, and to follow whatever Antony and Octavius command of him. Octavius claims that Lepidus is a “tried and valiant soldier” (4.1.32), to which Antony replies, “So is my horse” (4.1.33). Antony continues that Lepidus is trained and follows orders, again simple things an animal can do, especially a horse used in battle. Despite Ocatvius’s protests, Antony derides Lepidus as a viable military and political leader by continually alluding to animals, their obedience and lower standing compared to humans. Antony sums up his argument, stating the Lepidus is even lower than animals, telling Octavius, “Do not talk of him/ But as a property” (4.1.43-44).

Act III speeches

Act III scene ii is one of the most fascinating and interesting parts of the play. After Caesars death, Brutus and Marc Antony both speak to the crowd in order to gain its favor and support. It is important to note that Brutus speaks first (allowing him to set the tone and foundation for what just happened). The fact the Brutus’s speech is written in prose rather than verse is also something that cannot be overlooked. This signifies that Brutus’s speech is plain and simple which can relate more to the Plebeians and put him on the same level. Brutus then leaves and gives the crowd to Antony, which proves to be a pivotal mistake. Antony’s speech is forceful and convincing. At first he does everything Brutus asked of him (do not blame the conspirators and do not criticize what has happened). However with sarcasm like “Brutus says he was ambitious, / And Brutus is an honourable man” (III.ii.83–84), Antony is able to sway the crowd to his side and remind the people of what a great man Caesar was. With his eloquent words Antony is also able to coax the crowd into begging him to read Caesar’s will, which gave all the people of Rome money. This is the icing on top for Antony, as the crowd is now fully convinced that Caesars murder was wrong and must be revenged. Although Brutus had the first word, Antony’s last words proved to be the critical ones.

Freud meets Alice

Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Alice enters a confusing and curious dream world. Analysis from Sigmund Freud’s lecture “Symbolism in Dreams” can be applied to many elements that appear in Alice’s Wonderland. In chapter four, Alice is mistaken for the White Rabbit’s housemaid, and demanded to fetch the Rabbit’s gloves and fan. Alice enters the house and finds a bottle, which she decides to drink. “‘I know something interesting is sure to happen,’ she said to herself, ‘whenever I eat or drink anything: so I’ll just see what this bottle does. I do hope it’ll make me grow large again, for I’m really quite tired of being such a tiny little thing!’” (32).Alice does grow larger. Freud notes that “dreams aim at being the fulfillments of wishes” (155), and Alice is thus given the opportunity to fulfill her wish of growing larger by drinking from the bottle. She grows more than she would like, however, and is too large for the White Rabbit’s room, her arm out the window and her foot in the chimney. This can be alluded to Freud’s first symbolic representation in dreams: “representation of the human figure as a whole is a house” (153). Alice grows so large that her body is the house, carrying Freud’s symbolism even further. The White Rabbit sees Alice as a monster in his house, and has his animal friend Bill into the house through the chimney. This breaking into the house can be seen as an attempted rape of Alice, using Freud’s symbolism of the house for the body. Alice kicks Bill out of the chimney, sending him flying, and saving herself and the house from the invader. She is then thrown cakes, which allow her to grow small again and escape the house.

Alice In Wonderland Interpretation

In chapter V “Advice From A Caterpillar” the ending scene can easily be interpreted in a Freudian manner. After talking to the caterpillar and experimenting with the left and right hand bit of mushrooms Alice ends up high above the trees. She grew in a manner where her neck was extended in order to increase her height. While searching for her hands she bends her neck downwards (which happens to be very flexible) and encounters a pigeon. The pigeon (which is a common symbol of a women or in this case the female genitalia) mistakes Alice and her long neck for a serpent (typically a symbol for the male sex organ). First, Alice’s neck is long and high above the trees. The immense length symbolizes the erect penis, which is excited and looking for sexual pleasure. The point that Alice’s neck is high above everything else shows that the penis is high and mighty. In his analysis Freud usually gives the penis a lot of power. Second, he pigeon is very scared of the serpent and wants to protect its eggs. This can be seen as a women being very cautious of the elusive penis and wanting to protect her motherhood from unwanted and pursuing men. As the scene develops Alice denies wanting the eggs (or in this case sex) as the pigeon accuses Alice of that very desire. The pigeon basically rejects Alice and Alice takes this rejection by adding “but I’m not looking for eggs, as it happens; and, if I was, I shouldn’t want yours: I don’t like them raw” (Carroll, 48). This interaction between Alice and the pigeon is easily morphed into a classic confrontation between man and women. In this case a man looking for sex and a women rejecting him.

Description of Hell

Milton uses extremely strong imagery in his description of hell. What immediately jumps out is his use of imagery we can imagine as well as imagery we cannot conceive. This is most evident when he says “As one great furnace flamed, yet from those flames no light, but rather darkness visible” (I. 62-63). Milton uses something we all can think of with the great flaming furnace but strains our minds when describing flames that give off darkness and no light. Milton’s choice of words is also important in his description of hell. Words such as dismal, darkness, woe, sorrow, prison, torture and horrible are littered throughout his description. This word choice helps drive home the point of the excruciating pain and conditions of hell. The words give the reader a dreadful feeling while reading about it. The word choice also helps evoke certain feeling when initially reading about hell that will stay with the reader throughout the book and perhaps stay with the reader whenever he/she thinks of hell. Milton also uses comparison to create his version of hell. Knowing that typical depiction of heaven he makes it very clear that hell is the “anti heaven” when he says “As far removed from God and light of heaven” (I. 73). With that line Milton makes sure that heaven and hell are seen as polar opposites. It is also important to note that in Milton’s description of heaven from lines 56-75 it is only one sentence. This sentence ends with an exclamation point, which makes the feelings, and thoughts read about hell that much greater and horrible than they were described as. Milton uses various techniques to portray his fiery and dismal hell. 

Response 3

In Paradise Lost Book I, Milton uses words and imagery to depict heavenly and evil elements as beyond earthly definition. This is accomplished in the depictions of amorphous sexuality among G-d and the angels, and in the abnormal elements used in the description of hell.

G-d is depicted as a dove creating the world, “…and with mighty wings outspread/ Dove-like sat’st brooding on the vast abyss/ and mad’st it pregnant…” (lines 20-22). Milton ascribes both the male act of impregnating and the female act of brooding to G-d, allowing G-d to exist as both sexes. Since humans are restricted to a single sex, requiring the opposite gender for reproduction, these attributes make G-d powerful and un-earthly. The fallen angels, taking the forms of false gods and goddesses, can also change their sex. “…For sprits when they please/ Can either sex assume, or both; so soft/ And uncompounded is their essence pure,/ Not tied or manacled with joint or limb,/ Nor founded on the brittle strength of bones,/ Like cumbrous flesh…” (lines 423-428). Here Milton embellishes the limitations of human forms to contrast the freedom of angelic forms.

In Milton’s depiction of hell, G-d sends Satan and the fallen angels “…down/ To bottomless perdition, there to dwell” (lines 46-47). The word “bottomless” forces the reader to imagine things impossible in the real world, creating an air of sinister grandeur to depict hell’s location. Hell is surrounded by fire, “…yet from those flames/ No light, only darkness visible” (lines 62-63). Here the reader is challenged to imagine a fire that exudes no light and forced to create a depiction of “darkness visible”. The fire is ever-lasting, “…a fiery deluge, fed/ With ever-burning sulfur unconsumed” (lines 68-69). The idea of sulfur that continuously burns and is not consumed is contrary to natural laws, adding to the magical and ominous elements of hell.

Response Paper 3

For this response paper you can choose from a multiplicity of options:

1.) Use one of the reading questions for Book 1 as a jumping off point and answer it by focusing on a small section of text (try out your close reading skills).

2.) Pick a section of Book 1 that you find interesting and close read it (whether or not it relates to any of the reading questions).

3.) Do the same thing as #2 but to Book 2.

If you've selected a piece of text but you don't know what to do with it, a great resource is the O.E.D (available off-campus here). You can get a lot of mileage looking up seemingly simple words like "equal" and seeing how they were used in the period and what nuances might apply to your passage.

Response 2: Fallen Angels

The two books of Enoch tell different stories about the fall of the angels.

In Enoch 1, the sin of the angels is the begetting children with the women of the earth and teaching them the secrets of heaven. There were 200 angels that agreed to this pact and recognized it as sin, “I fear ye will not agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin” (Enoch 1, 6: 3-4). The angel Azazel taught the men to make weapons and armor from metal, as well as jewelry and make-up. Other angels report to the Lord the crimes committed by the angels and chiefly by Azazel, “Thou seest what Azazel hath done, who hath taught all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were (preserved) in heaven, which men were striving to learn” (Enoch 1, 9:6-7). In Enoch 2, the Lord commands ten angels to stand in order, but one goes astray and commits a sin: “And one from the order of angels, having turned away with the order that was under him, conceived an impossible thought, to place his throne higher than the clouds above the earth, that he might become equal in rank to my power” (Enoch 2, 29:3).

In both stories, a single angel is cast out of heaven as punishment. In Enoch 1, the Lord punishes Azazel by casting him into the darkness, for he is the source of sin. He says that “the whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azazel: to him ascribe all sin” (Enoch 1, 10: 8-9). In Enoch 2, the Lord “threw him out from the height with his angels, and he was flying in the air continuously above the bottomless” (Enoch 2, 29:4).

Original Sin differences in Genesis and Enoch

The original sinful act is told differently in Genesis than it is in Enoch. Genesis describes the sinful act as a serpent convincing Eve to take the fruit from the tree of knowledge, which was forbidden. Enoch describes the devil as the seducer of Eve. “And he understood his condemnation and the sin which he had sinned before, therefore he conceived thought against Adam, in such form he entered and seduced Eva, but did not touch Adam” (Enoch 31). The devil is made out to be jealous of Adam and vengeful for his own fall, therefore he exacts revenge through seducing Eve. It is important to note that in both versions of the original sinful act the women is made out to be the original sinner and that who seduces Adam into eating the fruit.

God’s punishments differ between both versions as well. Genesis is much more detailed when discussing God’s wrath. It describes the punishment to each sinner (the serpent, Eve and Adam). It is interesting to note that while the serpent and Eve both suffer specific punishment (the serpent is without arms or legs and bound to the ground and the women is forced to give birth and serve her husband) Adam is not punished individually. God says “Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life” (Genesis 3:17). God has cursed the land in which he inhabits rather than Adam. Enoch is much more vague in its descriptions of God’s punishments and just says that God sent Adam away from paradise. 

Short Response 2

In this response paper, choose one aspect of either the creation or the fall and compare two different accounts of it. Possibilities include the nature of the original sinful act (or of sinfulness in general), the nature of the temptation of man, the fall of the angels, the punishment of the angels, the punishment of man, the creation of man, the creation of some aspect of the world, the number of days of creation, etc. This paper should include some quotations because you should be focusing in narrowly enough that you are talking about details. Compare and contrast papers work best when you move back and forth between the two texts (instead of talking all about A then all about B). Also, consider the implications of these differences: are the two texts you are examining significantly different, or do they convey similar messages? Again, this post just needs to be 250-300 words.

To cite biblical sources give the book, chapter and verse. You do not need to italicize the name of the book. According to MLA guidelines you could cite chapter 3, verse 1 of Genesis, either like this:

Genesis 1.3

or like this:

Genesis 1:3

For this assignment you only have to worry about in-text citation. No bibliography or works cited is necessary.

Summary of Genesis and Enoch

God had been bored; he had no satisfaction in his being. In order to find this self-fulfillment he went up his creation. He created the heavens and the earth and all that these bodies are made of. He created light and day to distinguish time and place. He created living beast to inhabit and roam the earth he created. He distinguished the earth between wet and dry or basically sea and land. As his prize possession he created man, a reflection of himself to rule over the wonderful creation he made. God did not want man to be lonely and out of man forged woman a companion that heed and accompany man for all of time. He named man Adam. He created Eden a paradise on earth that Adam and his woman could roam and rule. With Eden he allowed Adam to enjoy all the fruits of the earth and lived as he pleased. However God gave Adam one restriction; not to eat from the tree of knowledge. Tempted by a serpent Adam’s companion ate from the tree of knowledge and indulged Adam to do so as well. God found out, deeply hurt he banished Adam and his companion (who Adam named Eve) from Eden and forced them to live with tribulations. They would now have to survive and struggle in order to live on the earth from now on.

            Enoch was a good man chosen by God to come up and see the heavens. Angels took him through the heavens and he saw the goodness of them as well as the badness. Eventually he came to talk to God who explained to him the creation of these heavens and the earth he inhabited. He commanded Enoch to go down on earth and spread the knowledge he had been granted.

Writing Assignment 1

Please summarize the creation story and the fall of the angels as told in Genesis, the Book of Enoch, and 2 Enoch. Your summary should be 250-300 words. Your goal is to write an accurate summary that engages your reader. I am asking you to summarize a lot of material in a rather short space, so you will probably have to make decisions about what details you think are important. Don't worry, that is part of the process.