Sarah Scheidel
ENGL 2200
First and foremost, I would like to address how interesting the dialect of the epic is and actually how difficult it is to follow. I realize that this story was originally intended to be passed down through generations by oral tradition, and it was long ago, but now it is very confusing. There are numerous names that are all very long. I noticed this epic relied heavily on family lineage and names to tell the story. For instance, the portion of the epic where Sunjata cuts off a piece of his own leg to feed his fellow traveling companion was gross, yet it explained why it is so terrible for a Keita to betray a Kuyate today. "Things will go badly for him." I also found that loyalty seemed to be very important: Sunjata was extremely loyal to his mother and sister and would not leave them. Yet, I do not understand the animosity between Sunjata and his brothers. They tried to kill each other just to be king...and they are brothers. I also enjoyed reading Mrs. Fowler's blog. I did not even put two and two together about this epic and The Lion King. I should have known! That was my favorite movie as a kid, and now that she has mentioned it, I definitely see how they are related. It made the reading of this story more enjoyable! Simba is Sunjata, and he is expelled because another family member takes over. Rafiki predicts that he is supposed to be the reigning king just like Sunjata's mother and his obstacles predicted his future. Finally, a female ends up helping Simba back to the pride land, similar to Sunjata.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Genji's Weird Life
Sarah Scheidel
ENGL 2200
To start off, I found it extremely odd that Genji slept with a twelve-year-old boy, who happened to be the brother of the governor's wife whom he also slept with. In my opinion, Genji "got around". He was married to Aoi, however, he was completely not phased by this reality. I understand that the time period's cultural stance on marriage was very different than it is today, but Genji's numerous pursuits almost seemed ridiculous and too carnal for me. This handsome, royal man basically could skip to whichever woman he pleased; he became attached easily as well. First, he became attached to the governor's wife simply because she was playing hard to get. He played along with these games, which made him seem very childish. These men picked apart women's flaws as if they were on display. No woman was ever "perfect"enough for any of them. All of the men in this tale were shallow; it was disgusting. Every time a relationship (if you could even call it that) ended, it was ALWAYS the female's fault; the males in this story could do no wrong. They also passed around women amongst their group, which was gross. Tu-no-Chujo first stayed with Yugao ("Evening Faces") and Genji knew that, however, it did not stop him from sleeping with her. He admired her gentility and easily fell for her. The reading ended on a very odd note: Yugao died in bed with Genji, Genji mourned for a short time, and then he went back to his old ways and old lovers. Typical.
ENGL 2200
To start off, I found it extremely odd that Genji slept with a twelve-year-old boy, who happened to be the brother of the governor's wife whom he also slept with. In my opinion, Genji "got around". He was married to Aoi, however, he was completely not phased by this reality. I understand that the time period's cultural stance on marriage was very different than it is today, but Genji's numerous pursuits almost seemed ridiculous and too carnal for me. This handsome, royal man basically could skip to whichever woman he pleased; he became attached easily as well. First, he became attached to the governor's wife simply because she was playing hard to get. He played along with these games, which made him seem very childish. These men picked apart women's flaws as if they were on display. No woman was ever "perfect"enough for any of them. All of the men in this tale were shallow; it was disgusting. Every time a relationship (if you could even call it that) ended, it was ALWAYS the female's fault; the males in this story could do no wrong. They also passed around women amongst their group, which was gross. Tu-no-Chujo first stayed with Yugao ("Evening Faces") and Genji knew that, however, it did not stop him from sleeping with her. He admired her gentility and easily fell for her. The reading ended on a very odd note: Yugao died in bed with Genji, Genji mourned for a short time, and then he went back to his old ways and old lovers. Typical.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Courtly Love: Is Chivalry Dead?
Courtly love is described as a medieval European conception of nobly and chivalrously expressing love and admiration. It seems as if courtly love had no bounds. Marriage was not even an excuse for not loving. Married people could love others. Love rarely endured the hardships of the public eye, therefore, most courtly relationships were kept a secret. Courtly love also consisted of all the "bells and whistles". This type of love entailed the butterflies, rapid heart pounding, and poems of passion and jealousy. A true lover was constantly and without intermission possessed by the thought of his beloved. So the questions are: Does this kind of love still exist? Is chivalry dead? I'm young, and therefore, haven't had very much experience with "true love". I would like to entertain the thought that this kind of deep, true, passionate love really exits, but I doubt it. In today's society, things are always complicated. As a female, I feel like I am generally stuck in limbo. Guys don't really share their feelings; they'd probably get teased terribly if they did. Females would also consider the male to be a "creep" and slightly obsessive. However, every now and then, a girl comes across a guy who will open car doors, hold doors open and let her walk in first, compliment her on her appearance, and seem interested without scaring the girl. These occurrences are sparkling glimpses and reflections of the ancient conception of courtly love. Some men may surprise you still; they definitely keep you on your toes.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
The Book of Margery Kempe...weird.
Sarah Scheidel
ENGL 2200
First and foremost, this story was extremely odd and dramatic. The book begins with the birth of Margery's first child; this birth was extremely complicated and scared Margery. The main character basically ended up going crazy for awhile. She was mean to others, depressed, and scared. She eventually clung to her religion and belief in Christ to get her through this terrible, frightening stage of her life. After deciding to be a devout Christian, Margery pledges her celibacy. She attempts to get her husband to do the same but fails. She truly becomes celibate along with her husband after having numerous children (fourteen to be exact). As a devout follower, Margery decides to leave her home in Lynne, England, and travel the world. She makes pilgrimages to places such as Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Jerusalem seemed to be the most strenuous on Margery. She began having visions of Jesus and Mary; these visions led to spastic crying fits. This obnoxious outburst of tears would generally take place whenever she thought of Christ; therefore, the fits occurred in Church and near religious historical sites. People began to look at her in an odd way; they made fun of Margery and did not like her. I can definitely sympathize with these people because random crying fits would bother me, too. Margery even had visions of Christ where he would speak to her. Margery gave up all of her money and continued to travel and devote her life to God. This way of life definitely must have been difficult. I found this story to be extremely odd and difficult to read because of the old English writing.
ENGL 2200
First and foremost, this story was extremely odd and dramatic. The book begins with the birth of Margery's first child; this birth was extremely complicated and scared Margery. The main character basically ended up going crazy for awhile. She was mean to others, depressed, and scared. She eventually clung to her religion and belief in Christ to get her through this terrible, frightening stage of her life. After deciding to be a devout Christian, Margery pledges her celibacy. She attempts to get her husband to do the same but fails. She truly becomes celibate along with her husband after having numerous children (fourteen to be exact). As a devout follower, Margery decides to leave her home in Lynne, England, and travel the world. She makes pilgrimages to places such as Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Jerusalem seemed to be the most strenuous on Margery. She began having visions of Jesus and Mary; these visions led to spastic crying fits. This obnoxious outburst of tears would generally take place whenever she thought of Christ; therefore, the fits occurred in Church and near religious historical sites. People began to look at her in an odd way; they made fun of Margery and did not like her. I can definitely sympathize with these people because random crying fits would bother me, too. Margery even had visions of Christ where he would speak to her. Margery gave up all of her money and continued to travel and devote her life to God. This way of life definitely must have been difficult. I found this story to be extremely odd and difficult to read because of the old English writing.
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