Blog 14

We could argue that the two forms of expression (music and poetry) are similar; both can convey one's purest thoughts and feelings and can be a representation of who someone is as a person. 

I would say that The Love Song by J. Alfred Prufrock is definitely a dramatic monologue. 

Milton

In Paradise Lost, Milton refers to the story of Adam and Eve. He considers their fall a "happy fault" and thinks that there is good that came out of their fall. He thinks that because of them, mankind knows of death and sin and hardship. 

I picked this song as it is about God always being there for us.

Wife of Bath

One of the fallacies is how many times a women is married. It is not realistic to think that a women should only be married once; there are situations where a husband may pass away or there is not actual love in their relationship. 

I think the Wife of Bath would like the song "Woman" by John Lennon. 

"Woman

I can hardly expressMy mixed emotions at my thoughtlessnessAfter all, I´m forever in your debtAnd womanI will try to expressMy inner feeling and thankfulnessFor showing me the meaning of success"



The Wife of Bath reminds me of Elizabeth Taylor as she was married eight times.

Blog 13

He thinks that most happiness comes from nature, but he is sad because he does not think that people realize that.  He uses sunshine and clouds as a metaphor. 

The function of nature in a single poem is that nature is supposed to be representing human life. Most of the seasons and weather changes are seen as metaphors in a human's life. 

Both authors are similar as they use poetry as a form of expression. They both use forces of nature to do this. 

Happiness is an emotion that almost anyone is attracted to. Everyone, for the most part, strives to be happy. 

Blog 10, Gawain and the Green Knight

The changing of the seasons often plays a part in the characters' mood and mindset. Some of the seasons may make some feel dull and gloomy while other seasons can be seen as cheerful and a new beginning. The changing of the seasons represents Gawain's change of mood.

The song I chose is Johnny Cash's "Seasons of my Heart"

Blog 9, Dante

The farther you get into Hell, the worse it is. The penalties vary depending on what sins were done. They are mostly personalized, going off of what the individual did. 

Those in the upper Hell were mostly selfish and did not physically hurt others. People who had smaller sins went here. Those in the lower Hell committed bigger sins, such as trying to harm others. 

I believe the main difference between today's perspective and Dante's is that we don't believe in different levels of Hell. Most also believe in Jesus Christ forgiving our sins instead of being sent to Hell.

Song of Roland

The poet seems to have a good attitude toward Roland as he portrays him as a brave and noble character. I think the poet wants him to seem bold so that others will look up to him. 

The poet's attitude toward Archbishop Turpin and the Crusaders is also a positive one. There are seen as brave like Roland as they fight alongside him in battle. 

Roland himself can be considered supernatural. I think his survival skills definitely show that. Even Roland's sword can be considered supernatural. 

The Song of Roland is one of the oldest poems. We do not know who wrote it as it has been told told for years and years by passing it down. It was told this way for many years before anyone ever wrote it down on paper. 

Blog 7: Religion

The Beatitudes follow that of a Christian religion, where most look to the Bible for guidance and comfort. They believe in trusting Jesus Christ as their savior and that is their only God. The Beatitudes are in the Bible and mold people's morals. 

The Greek stories we have read are different; instead of the people praising only one God, there are many gods and goddesses that people turn to in times of trouble or when they need guidance. There is also no certain book such as the Bible that they follow. Instead, the gods actually interact with the people. 

The Islamic perception of afterlife is different of the Christian and Jewish perception, as the latter two are quite similar. Islams believe in Allah instead of God. They believe that Allah will determine if a person's good deeds outweigh their bad ones enough to be let into their version of Heaven called Jannah. Christians and Jews believe that if one repents their sins and believes in God, they will be let into Heaven. Islams believe Hell is where one goes if he or she has done bad deeds, while Christians and Jews believe that Hell is satanic and where you go if you don't repent your sins. 

Women are more so seen as objects and are not respected. They are considered very inferior to men and are treated badly. They are expected to take care of their household and their men; other than that, they are not considered needed. 

Aeneas

I would have to disagree with Charles James Fox, as Aeneas was not insipid nor odious. Aeneas was a good, selfless man who was also a great leader. He did for others and was very kind. He faced hardship but still went on and was brave while doing it. He was a respected leader during the war and can be considered a hero. 

It is very justified to compare Aeneas with Odysseus; both men faced complications while sailing after the war, but both were determined and were able to overcome these obstacles with some help. Both of these strong men make it to their destinations. 

Aristotle

Tragedy: "an imitation of an action that is serious and has a wholeness in its extent, in language that is pleasing, enacted rather than narrated, culminating, by means of pity and fear, in the cleansing of these passions" Aristotle's tragedies contain a great deal of emotion

Hamartia: a tragic mistake or an error of judgement; a great character's downfall

Catharsis: a strong emotion that can consist of pity or fear- Aristotle uses this word as a metaphor of being washed or cleansed

Deus ex machina: literally means god of the machine-  a character, more likely a god, that helps to solve a problem unexpectedly. Aristotle does not like this as he feels the gods should not intervene with the plot

Creon and Antigone

Despite being a female in this particular time era, Antigone is strong and powerful in this story. She is a very headstrong character who is also determined. She knows what she thinks is right and she fully intends on doing what she feels she needs to do no matter who gets in her way (in this case, Creon). Antigone's story ends in tragedy as she ends up committing suicide. Electra is another strong female character whose drive reminds me of Antigone. 

Creon is seen as a tragic character in this story, as well as an arrogant and cruel ruler. He is very rarely listened to or liked by his own people. Antigone disobeying him is a prime example. Creon can be compared to other selfish kings that we have seen. However, his story can be seen as tragic; Creon ends up losing not only his son, but the people of his kingdom as they all lose respect for him. 

Odysseus and Athena vs God and Job

The relationship that was between Athena and Odysseus and the one between God and Job have many comparisons. Both relationships were that of guidance; Athena and God both were there to help Odysseus and Job during a difficult time. Odysseus was led on a journey with the help of Athena, and Job turned to God as he was facing various personal hardships. Athena and God both play leading and influential roles in these stories. This might suggest that for the Greeks religious attitudes, they rely on the gods to help them, and oftentimes, it is in a supernatural way. As far as the Hebrews religious attitudes, they often turn to God through prayer and worship to find some kind of comfort and peace. 

Women's roles in the Odyssey and in mythology in general are a bit unusual considering at this time period, women were often seen as almost irrelevant and inferior. However, in the Odyssey, women are powerful and are even able to control men most of the time. Women in this story have many elements to them and are capable of performing many supernatural acts. Women seemed to be respected more in the Odyssey.


Odysseus was recognized on a few different occasions. For example, one of his maids recognizes him as well as his dog.  

Blog 2, Joseph

I think that Joseph would definitely be considered an epic hero according to Campbell's description. In various verses throughout the book of Genesis, Joseph goes through hardship when he is sold into slavery for silver. He then begins his journey where he is helped by a Hebrew companion. 

Joseph was able to accomplish dream interpreting, which allowed him to see the famine that would happen in Egypt. He affects many lives throughout Egypt as he is able to get food during this time.

I do believe his ability to attract trust was a gift from God; even during hard times, Joseph still trusted in God. God gave him this gift because He knew that Joseph was a good, moral man who would help others during their own hard times. 

Gilgamesh

The flood that happened in the story of Gilgamesh compared to the flood that takes place in the Old Testament has many differences. To me, the flood in Genesis is far more moral; in the Bible, Noah is warned by God that there will be a flood due to the world becoming an evil place full of sin. Out of Noah's trust in God and his obedience, he builds the ark for the animals and his family and survives the flood that lasted forty nights and forty days. At the end of the flood, God sent a rainbow and a promise to never flood the earth again and that those who believe in Him shall have eternal life. 

While Noah obeyed one God out of his love for Him, there are many gods mentioned in Gilgamesh. I feel as if Gilgamesh listened to these gods for more selfish reasons. The flood mentioned in this story was only six days and nights, which is significantly shorter than the flood in the Old Testament. 

The search for immortality is the main principle in Gilgamesh. The relationship that the gods have with Gilgamesh was to show him that he cannot live forever, but humankind will continue to progress. They show this by killing Endiku. 

The journey home is the main principle in The Odyssey. As Odysseus is trying to return home to Ithaca, he faces many challenges; some gods tried to drown him and keep him, while other gods protect him and warn him throughout his journey. 

The main principle in the Aeneid was the founding of a state. In this story, the gods encourage Aeneas that he is powerful and capable of ruling Rome.