Post 13

*I attended Southeastern's production of The Imaginary Invalid and watched the entire play.

The Imaginary Invalid, by Moliere was an extremely dramatic, yet comedic play that deals with a variety of family situations and fights in order to finally find truth. The main character Argan is a hypochondriac who does not want to pay for medical care, so devises a plan for his daughter Angelique to marry off to a doctor, so he will get free healthcare. Angelique on the hand had different plans; she was already in love with a man named Cleante. Her father refused her plan to marry Cleante and pushed the idea of marrying the doctor’s son. In other news, Argans second wife Beline has a secret plot to take all of Argans fortune when he dies. The maid and Argans brother conspire to help show Argan his enemies and in the process allow Angelique to marry Clente. They come up with a plan for his wife and his daughter to walk on Argan pretending to be dead; and based off their reactions he will know the truth. First time through Beline walks in finding Argan dead, and shows no remorse and is happy she can finally have his money. Argan realizes she was untrue in her motives and wants nothing to do with her. He pretends to be dead again and Angelique walks in and immediately cries over his death and wishes he would come back to life and would even give up Cleante for Him. Argan realizes his daughter loves Him and consents the marriage. Argan is still obsessive over having his medical bills paid, so the maid advises Argan to get an immediate doctors license himself. That way he can attend to his own problems. And that’s the end! Overall I absolutely loved this play! I loved everything from the plot to the comedy to the dances and makeup. I like how at the end their were two main ironic twists that Argan consents to the marriage on the basis his wife never loved him and that he becomes a doctor in order to have a doctor. I thoroughly enjoyed this play and I hope going to other plays or artistic events are planned into the rest of this semester.

Post 12

Since this there is no prompt for this post, I figured I would revisit the story of the Joel. My previous post about the book of Joel focused on the idea of the Bible being read as literature. I think that literature is a place where thoughts and concepts are not limited and that art can be inspired by words. Or even vs. versa words and stories can be inspired by art. I feel that art, media, and literature all closely interconnect. Each are unique in their function, but all give off some form of expression. All three of these areas, I believe are also functions in which God chooses to use for furthering of His Kingdom. Throughout the Bible Jesus chooses to use parables as compared to plain concepts, or dramatic instances to reveal a point, rather than flat out saying it. I think this an example of God Himself using expression in order teach or explain a concept. The Bible says we should model Christ in everything that we do, it also says that we are created in His image. So than can’t we also to apply those ideas to the way that we express ourselves? I believe the book of Joel is one example that God uses in order to display how literature can glorify God. God has deposited within each of us many gifts and talents that can be creatively used for to unveil Christ to unbelievers. I believe the activity of painting in class from the book of Joel was much more than an exercise to further our understanding of the text, but in fact worship to God. When we glorify God with our creativity and talents that He is given to us, it is pleasing in his eyes. I truly believe that if we could glorify Christ with creativity in all the areas of our life, God would be able to use our expression in order not to just benefit ourselves, but others as well for His kingdom.

Post 11

The blogging project in Intro to Lit has revolutionized the way I think about and respond to literature. The idea of combining modern technology with poems and works that’s are maybe hundreds of years old I think is amazing. I feel that it also ours generation to utilize what is natural to us in society and use it for educational purposes. In the original blogging instructions Professor Corrigan assigns his student to think creatively and draw from the text in a new and unique way. Finding insight through the authors words and applying you own thoughts and experiences has been a must in order to succeed at the posts. Our in class assignments have really given me an example of how I am suppose to apply these techniques in my blogs. I really enjoyed the painting project regarding Joel. I felt that being able to explore Joel through paint and creativity helped me to understand the ideas better than just reading it did. I also loved being able to go outside and read Joel to nature. And truly get a feel for what was recorded in the book of Joel, by experiencing it all around me. Like Joel, many of the themes expressed in our reading have been about life or death. These two topics are unavoidable for any human. Life has many different meanings, and for some of us life feels as if it is death. Why if both life and death are opposites, how do they so closely interconnect? Throughout all the readings we have done this common theme is seen. Being able to blog has allowed me the place to further my reading and explore how I feel about any given text. I think I have been able to do this fairly well, I think that through blogging I have successfully dug into our reading and learned and critically thought about them as assigned.

* Cemetary Trip

I went to the Lakeview, Roselawn and Tiger Flowers cemetery complex for this fieldtrip, and I stayed there for at least 40 minutes.

Post 10

“The night in silence under the stars,

The ocean shore and the husky whispering wave whose voice I know,

And the soul turning to thee O vast well-veil’d death,

And the body gratefully nestling close to thee.

Over the tree-tops I float thee a song,

Over the rising and sinking waves, over the myriad fields and the prairies wide,

Over the dense-pack’d cities all and the teeming wharves and ways,

I float this carol with joy, with joy to thee O death.”

This quote from When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d by Walt Witman describes the varying emotions you feel or you feel over someone else who has died or is about to die. Death is defined by Webster as a permanent cessation of all vital functions : the end of life. I believe Witman attempts in the poem to go through the process of the end of life with his readers. Not by any means is death easy, not for the one dying nor the one who is close with the one dying. Yet death is an inevitable part of life. I can’t help but think how ironic it is that from the earth God created us from and by the earth we are buried into. This poem reminds me of how we cannot avoid death, even if we are living. In this world people are dying all around every couple of seconds in fact yet we continue to live as if life has not left. As I quoted earlier Witman says, “The night in silence under the stars, The ocean shore and the husky whispering wave whose voice I know” I believe this statement has double meaning. I think Witman was suggesting that not only do we long for those who have left this world through death. But we on earth are waiting for death because it is inevitable. And that death is the voice that we know, whether were alive or already gone the voice of death is always familiar.

Post 9

Used second Blog Pass

Post 8

The idea of Holy Scripture being read as literature, happens to be a topic that I have never really considered. Although I would presume that many Christians would think of reading the Word as a story is somewhat blasphemous. I tend to disagree. I feel that everything God has created around us is beautiful. Music, nature, even humans all share as part of God’s creation and have a common theme throughout them. This theme is beauty. In all of God’s creations there is always some aspect of design in which one is just simply left in awe. If God could make something like a sunset so pretty, how more thought has went into his divine Word? I believe God inspired the Bible to be more than just facts and information; but for that information to be written elegantly, creatively, and beautifully. Joel is an example of just that. The book of Joel is written as a poem, as a plead with the people to repent. God chooses to use descriptive terms and vivid imagery in order to illustrate His point even further. To the many Christians who believe that God is against looking at the Bible as literary artwork: don’t take the issue up with people who read it as litertaure, but rather take it up with a God who designed beauty and literature. God clearly doesn’t have a problem with another one of His creations being beautifully designed. So what than is our benefit from looking at the Bible from a literary aspect? I would say that most of all its to inspire. Sometimes I think God uses parables or in this case imagery and metaphors to display a picture for us that could not have been depicted otherwise. I believe God wants us to dig deeper, like going outside and reading to nature. Somehow trying to connect with scripture in ways that maybe are “out of the box.” But maybe afterall thinking and being out of the box is what God intended for Christianity to be anyway. Maybe being the light, means being unconventional and different; even when reading His Word.

Post 7

"We presume that the greatest works of art reward us because they express significant and lasting themes." Fridays assignesd reading was all about themes; and how themes assist the reader in understanding the author clearer. The most memorable works of literature always have a theme or multiple themes that are being presented. These themes are what I'd like to think of more as principles. A themes purpose is to communicate meaning. But a principle conveys meaning and brings a purpose behind the meaning. The stories we connect with most always have such principles. Ones that give us new insight or show the importance of character and morals. "If we bring a narrow sense of purpose to our reading we will fail to engage the work of art on its own terms." Principles prove the purpose of reading literature. The readers thewn have the ability to translate and interpret what they personally got out of work. Without any theme, why read? Along with tv or music, literature is an outlet for expression. Expression comes in many forms and is a way for people to expose who they are. It allows people to say how they feel in ways they normally wouldn't be able to. Literature happens to be a placew where both the author and reader can express. The beast part about reading is being able to place yourself in the authors head and decipher the meaning. It's almost as if trying to interpret the text is a personal challenge. And although no one can meet the challenge better than someone elses. Each meets the challenge unique to the next. Every person gets something different out of the story than another reader. Literature is the place where discussion starts. Disscussion, I believe is where people who have met the challenge, how they got to the finish line. But no one can even see the without a theme at the start.

Post 6

War and love are two things that have always closely interconnected throughout the ages. Wars are always to solve, defeat or build relationships. In the same sense love cause us to solve issues, defeat through problems and build up a relationship. I think the author of The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien tried to show just that. And as in war, you’re willing to fight till you win, even if you lose your life. With true love, one must leave all else behind to find and keep love in your life. Love is not based on emotions, but also the constant actions that back it, to keep love alive. I don’t think that love or war can ever be perfect, both always consist of the: would of, should of, and could of. Jimmy Cross says, “He should’ve carried her up the stairs to her room and tied her to the bed and touched that left knee all night”. Cross wrestled with this idea of being able to change the past and wish for the future. The same with war, the decisions made on the battlefield directly correlate to the outcome of your own life, and ultimately who wins. “But he wondered what her truest feelings were, exactly, and what she meant by separate-but-together,” Cross said. Cross could not help but be in love with Martha, even at the expense of hurting his own heart. War requires a commitment in which one is willing to give up everything for the cause. Commitment is the tying key between love and war. But not just commitment in itself. Both need a sacrificial commitment, a kind of commitment that supersedes promises or oaths. And this is what God expects of us, where we are willing to drop everything our flesh desires, and seek God’s face at all costs.