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.