Presentations

This past week we observed everyone's different adaptations of a world literature syllabus. It was interesting to see how pieces of literature from all over were brought together to be taught in a single world literature course.

Overall, I did enjoy this class. As much as I complain that I hate writing papers, or dislike reading at times, it really was not as bad as i thought it would be. I took this course because I needed a year of english to fulfill med school requirements, but I have to say that I liked this class a lot more than some of my other science classes that I was taking.

Sufi poetry

After reading several samples of Sufi Poetry it is clear that those who practice Sufism see themselves to be on a mental and spiritual journey towards God. Many of the poems attempt to guide those who seek God and describe the path leading to this level of spiritual attainment. We also discussed how Sufism is an offshoot of mainstream Islam. The two differ in several ways. While muslims believe that they are on a pathway to God once they die, Sufi's also believe that is possible to reach a connection or degree of closeness with God while still alive. Sufi poetry embraces love and God while exploring some of the deepest aspects of our consciousness. This is clear with the language employed by Sufi poets. I found the poems to be quite vivid and a good read for a change. I think this is because I can be a little more relaxed knowing that I wont have to write a paper on it or make sure that I have to fully understand or analyze it.

Catullus Poems

This week we were instructed to read the poems of Catullus, specifically the ones dedicated to Lesbia. Catullus was inspired by the works of Sappho, so its only natural that his poems had strong emotional tendencies. After reading a couple of the poems I found them to be quite expressive of a range of emotions such as the love for lesbia, friendship, and sexual desires. His work is similar to Sapphos with respect to the incessant discussion about love and feelings. I really don't like poetry, and I feel bad saying that I don't enjoy reading any of this because it sounds like I hate reading even though i don't. It's just most of the time when I'm reading it I cant help but think to myself, " i don't care about any of this." When people think the poets were brilliant I really just don't see it. Overall, I thought the poems were okay, they were easy to read and they could be a little comical at times, which I enjoyed. But i wouldn't want to read them again.

Sappho

I have never read or even heard of the poems by Sappho until now, which is why I thought they would be like every other poem I have been uninterested in reading. After reading many of her poems, it is clear that she is writing with a lot of emotion. I feel as though her poems are concerned mainly with love, whether it be the passion of love or the sorrow associated with the absence of love. I also feel that she chose her words carefully to effectively convey some emotions. For example, she uses the phrases, "...my frenzied heart", and "..Come to me now once again and release me from grueling anxiety." I found that analyzing the poems is quite difficult since there is little known about Sappho other than the assumptions made about her and the context in which she wrote the poems. Also I typically come to the wrong conclusions about poems, since I usually have no idea what it is talking about. Overall though, I didn't feel as bored reading these poems as I have felt when reading others. I found this interesting.

Othello act 4

This week in class we discussed the end of Act III and Act IV. Towards the end of Act III we begin to see Othello's suspicion of Desdemona's purported infidelity rise when she is unable to procure his mothers handkerchief. He then goes on the describe the story behind and the handkerchief and what it symbolizes. In the next Act we see the extent of Iago's manipulation with his persistent insinuations of Desdemona's unfaithfulness; this brings Othello over the edge and later decides he wants to murder Cassio. AS the story progresses Othello finally accuses Desdemona of her adultery even though she is adamantly denying all accusations. Later, Desdemona seems to be aware of her fate and accepts her death at the hands of her husband. I did not finish the play and I am not enjoying it. I don't really like the language and the whole story seems ridiculous to me. The idea that she will simply accept her death is just weird.

Medea

The tragedy Medea begins in a state of conflict. Jason and Medea have established their own family in Corinth when Jason decides too leave Medea and his two children to marry the daughter of Creon, the King of Corinth. It is her loyalties to her former husband that has made Jason's abandonment even more difficult for her to grasp; she is now intent on seeking revenge. As the play continues we discover Medea's own internal conflict. Her grief has drove her to madness and leads her to kill her own two children. I enjoyed reading the play and can sympathize with her when Jason left her, however, as the story progressed I began to feel that she was just a crazy woman. What kind of mother kills her children? I also liked this play because it wasn't as boring as I thought it would be.

Oedipus Rex

This week in class we discussed the play, Oedipus Rex. We learn that Oedipus is the King of Thebes after solving the sphinx's riddle. He is married to Jocasta and is adamant about revealing the identity of Laius' murderer. As the play develops, we are introduced to a prophecy that ultimately identifies Oedipus as the murderer and the husband to his own father and mother respectively. The play is a story about the fate of one man; despite his efforts to not fulfill a prophecy, it is his actions that bring about his destiny and achieve the very thing he wanted to avoid. Oedipus is in denial through out the entire play and it does not come as shock when he stabs his eyes. I felt kind of bad for him and really enjoyed the play.

Agamemnon

Agamemnon is a Greek tragedy that takes place in the time period immediately following the Trojan war. The story opens with the chorus describing the events of the past 10 years, which refers to the story in the Iliad. In the tragedy, Agamemnon sacrifices his own daughter, Iphigenia, to the god Artemis in order to obtain his favor for the greek fleet. Agamemnon's wife, Clytemnestra, is completely angered by this decision and is determined to seek revenge on her husband. She pretends to be happy upon his arrival, which is just a front until she kills both Agamemnon and Cassandra. Aegisthus also sought revenge on Agamemnon and joins Clytemnestra once she commits the murders. The entire tragedy occurs in the same place so that the drama or action can be as concentrated as possible. The tragedy also employs the use of dramatic irony, since the audience already knows what will happen before it actually occurs. Agamemnon is essentially a story of revenge prompted by the sacrifice made by Agamemnon.

Jordan Hernandez

We started off the week discussing the Ramayana. Canto 2 of Book 1 depicts Brahma's (the creator) visit. We learn that sheeva is the god of destruction and vishnu is a god that keeps the balance. Canto 3 essentially summarizes the entire story. I also noticed that they describe sacrifices and mantras that are spoken making them quite ritualistic. In addition we began to discuss canto 47 of Book 3 when Ravan attempts to woo Sita. Moreover, we compared Achilles and Ram and the consistent themes within both epics. Such themes include war and abduction. One thing, however, that I noticed is that the "bloodiness" present in the Iliad is missing in the Ramayana. I'm not entirely sure why that is the case and I don't think that it has much significance. I enjoyed reading the two verses of the Iliad because I actually understood them. I liked reading parts of the Ramayana except for Canto's 2 and 3, which were so confusing to me.

I'm not sure how I feel about reading the tragedies since I didn't enjoy reading them back in high school.

The Iliad/Ramayana

This week we discussed book 22 of The Iliad and the background information surrounding the Ramayana. Book 22 of the Iliad describes the death of Hector and is written in a didactic tone. This is clearly presented through a myriad of lessons conveyed through out the story. We also learn about the ethics of war. This is portrayed when Achilles dishonors Hector, which elicits an angry response by the gods. I enjoyed reading books 1 and 22 of the Iliad not only because I thought the stories were interesting but also because they were easy to read. On the other hand, I found it very difficult to decipher what was going on in Cantos 2 and 3 of Ramayana. All I really got from it was that a bird died and the character Valmiki was saddened by this. We did not get to discuss what had happened in the readings, however, in class we learned about the caste system in India including the difficulty or more accurately the absence of upward mobility in society. We also see the similarities between the two epics. For instance, both epics possess a central hero who is on a quest. Hopefully, I will be better able to understand what the ramayana is about.

The Iliad, Jordan Hernandez

I definitely enjoyed reading the Iliad, much more so than the previous 3 narratives that we had to read. I read both versions in verse. In the Iliad, book 1, the story begins with the invocation to a muse. Next we learn the Agamemnon, son of Atreus, the king of men, has offended the god, Apollo. This is because he kidnapped the daughter of the gods priest. Achilles and Agamemnon begin to argue; Agamemnon agrees to return the priests daughter, however, Achilles must give up his prize in return. Achilles then prays to his mother, the goddess Thetis, for revenge. The book concludes at the banquet of the gods where Queen Hera learns and becomes angered over Zeus' promise to Thetis to avenge the loss of Achilles prize. I usually do not like reading passages in verse, or reading things for english in general, but I found this pretty easy to read and understand, which is probably why i enjoyed it.

Jordan Hernandez, Metamorphoses

Metamorphoses by Ovid begins with the creation story. It is said that the earth and the sky are created but there is some uncertainty concerning how man was created. The story progresses by introducing and explaining the different ages of mankind, including the golden, silver, bronze and iron ages. With each successive age, humanity becomes more and more corrupt, which angers the gods, particularly Jove, or Jupiter. The impression left upon him by Lycaon incites him to unleash the flood that destroys life on earth except for Deucalion and his wife. They are then left with the responsibility to repopulate the earth. The story goes on to describe the fate of Daphne and Io, who were each transformed into a laurel tree and cow respectively. This is why I did not enjoy this story. I felt as though it dragged on and the story line was all over the place. I was expecting it to concentrate on the flood and the reasons for the flood and Gods wrath, like genesis and the epic of Gilgamesh. I guess I just wasn't that interested in the rest of the story once the flood story was over. This week in class we discussed the the many similarities and differences amongst the three creation myths. It was definitely interesting to draw comparisons between each story.

Genesis 6-9 and Gilgamesh Tablets I and XI

There are many similarities between the the story in Genesis and the epic of Gilgamesh. For instance, an arc was constructed with precise dimensions in order for humanity to survive the destruction of all living things on earth. However, there are some striking differences. In the story of Noah, God inflicts a flood upon earth as a result of mans corruption. Whereas in the epic of Gilgamesh, the elder god Enlil unleashes a more frightening catastrophe primarily to cleanse the earth from over population. Moreover, the biblical story in genesis serves as a religious document that helps to acquire followers. The epic of gilgamesh is a narrative therefore is presented simply as a story. I enjoyed reading genesis a lot more than the epic of Gilgamesh; this is probably because I found the epic more difficult to understand or follow while reading it. Furthermore, I feel that the purpose of genesis is to "teach" a lesson to man, while the epic is more representative of cultural attitudes.

Jordan Hernandez: Genesis 6-9

The story that ensued in Genesis 6-9 has several themes, one being divine retribution. As humanity became consumed with corruption, God bestowed upon earth a great flood in retribution for mans sins. However in order to preserve humanity, God designated Noah to build an arc to house his family along with one male and one female of each species. While reading genesis it becomes clear that rain is symbolic of a purification or cleansing process. When the flood ended and earth became dry, all evil had disappeared and man was given a second chance and allowed to proliferate. Although the story helps to convey Gods wrath and power, I feel that it is also important to note that he is also portrayed as a benevolent god. When god decided to end the flood, he established a covenant with man and said that he would never again smite man. This marked a transition from a feared god to a more respected god. I was confused, however, about why Noah cursed Canaan just for seeing him naked. I did not really understand its relevance to the story of Gods punishment and his forgiveness.

Finally, I think the fear instilled by story of the flood has been instrumental in its global acceptance or perception, which is why even now the story continues to be told.