12/3/09 – less than a month before 2010!
-Term Paper Presentation Day!
-Final Exam, Friday at 2 p.m.
-Take a look at the blogs! The primary focus of the final exam.
-The Last chapter of Frye, and the books of the presentations – as well as the presentations.
Presentations
--Karen- On “The Slave” Jacob as a slave to his religion. Jacob’s branded with his religion as a cow’s branded with their owner’s mark. Killing the mood, forcing Wando to bath in a freezing stream before they have sex. Jacob’s suffering similar to Job, but Jacob doesn’t complain as much.
--Ashley- A short movie clip, from TV show Firefly, the bible’s broken, it doesn’t make sense, but you can’t fix the bible, it fixes you through faith. The enormous influence of the bible on our culture; no matter what happens, in 2012, the next 100 years, whatever, the bible will always be around, always an influence. The archetype of a quiet leader; the bible as an immensely important part of social construction
--Thomas- what he didn’t know before that he does now. Quote from Frye about challenging positions. Great use of slides and quote to aid presentation. Cain and Abel, one of Thomas’s favorite stories of the bible. Ecclesiastes, Book of Job, story of Lazarus, interesting and disappointing, he’s raised from the dead then disappears, with no explanation, perhaps removed by some redactor. The Bible challenges questions, positions, and forces us to think.
--Jenna- What she knows now that she didn’t before. She sent most of her life avoiding the bible, which she’s now conquered. No one’s actually ever seen god, as they say they sometimes do. The multitudes of creation stories, stories rather than rules. Baptism confusion, what’s really involved, a metaphorical death and resurrection. Armageddon, the last battle between good and evil. References to the bible from Thoreau. Jews don’t always think that God is always around, interesting. Don’t be afraid of the bible, sit down and open the page.
--Chris- The Slave and the Bible; Jacob and Wanda, Jacob and Sarah; Jacob’s realization of his own namesake. Chris didn’t like Wanda’s transformation into Sarah, it ruined the character of Wanda. Jacob’s ability to question God, his ability to really seem human.
--Dr. Sexson—We’re all in stories, we merely need to discover what story we’re in.
--Craig—What he learned and the difference it makes. The discussion of the wisdom books; Ecclesiastes, all is vanity, pointless. The definition of wisdom, awareness, Socrates is wise because he is aware that he doesn’t know everything. Emerson’s “American Scholar,” we are what we do. “Me” by Mel Thompson, the concept of self, me; We can’t really know everything; his personal philosophy of Continuous Constant Change, we must accept it.
--Alex—What he know now that he didn’t before and the difference it makes. Also intimidated by the bible, but now loves it as the fundamental foundation of western thought. A new respect in its metaphorical and historical context, the power of logos in the age of chaos. The craziness of God inflicting genocide; God loving conflict. Fiddler On The Roof Quote, “I know we’re you’re chosen people but could you choose someone else.” Exclusive Monarchy, not necessarily an evil or wrong, even though there are evil acts involved with it. Narratives reinforce our identities metaphorically.
--Dr. Sexson—The Shadows on The Hudson, “It is better to believe that God does not exist that to believe there is a god that lets happen what happen in the Holocaust.”
--Shelby— ? The question of vanity, the deep sense of despair, dealing with it; awesome use of simple illustrations; the many traditions to approach the bible, but we can read it literally for the mental apocalypse. Jacob and anamnesis, his acceptance. The idea of all the different paths the bible offers.
--Melissa—women in the bible, Virginia Wolf quote; Women as the key players in the bible, the pushers of the stories. The interesting Lacuna of naming lots daughters; The bible has a huge influence on women throughout all of literature.
--Craig—Why he wrote his paper; watching the history channel, a commercial about 2012, the end of the world according to the Mayans; clip of Patton Oswald, comedian. ‘In the VIP section of eternity, I dies in the mother-f*@&ing apocalypse. The words turned to razor blades and sliced their flesh out. The apocalypse, an awesome, awe inspiring story, life and death, and end and a beginning.
--Katie—Stories and images, rules, understanding the bile through these stories. Using the bible to apply these rules to his own life.
--Kathryn—Started writing on The Slave, then turned to writing about justifying God’s wrath. Parable in Matthew 20.13-15, men getting paid the same amount no matter how much work they do, God’s salvation for us, even though we probably don’t even deserve that.
-The last shall be first and the first shall be last. Flannery O’Connor.
