Well, I wasn't as vigilant as I really should have been (I must admit, I hate putting my thoughts and feelings into a public place), but I'll try to sum up some of the thoughts that have been bumping around in my head.
The translation of Moses with a horn. Awesome idea. I even looked up "horned people", and one of the searches came up with a wonderful manga, Elfen Lied, here's a link to it:
http://www.mangavolume.com/elfen-lied/chapter-elfen-lied-1/1
It's a relatively short manga (only 107 chapters, or 6-ish hours of reading) and is very popular. It had been suggested to me by four people before reading it, and since it showed up on Google I reckoned I would take a peek at it. Don't let the cover fool you; it's not porn, it's actually very deep and interesting. And when reading it, remember it's Japanese, so read the panes right-to-left.
The Slave was alright. It wasn't groundbreaking for me, nor did it inspire an epiphany. It did, however, provide several very interesting things to look into. For example, the Talmud, (and the Mishnah and Gemara) Akdamut, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Tishabov, 17th day of Tammuz (these last five are holidays), tying a knot to symbolize an unbreakable pledge, the Kabbalah, the Midrash, Rashi, and matzoth were all new things, and were fun to look up on Wikipedia. I probably learned just as much about religious practices from this book as I did reading the Bible.
Folklore in the Old Testament had a concept that was intriguing as well: ultimogeniture. In ultimogeniture, the last son is the proper heir.This throws a little bit of a spin on several tales: Jacob and Esau, David, Joseph, and more-or-less all the "underdogs" were youngest sons, and were God's chosen. But, according to ultimogeniture, they weren't really underdogs; they were the right choice, the ones that should be chosen. Which makes the interpretation of God - who always seem to choose the most unlikely - seem a little more like a "likely" chooser. Or, he places his bets on the stronger candidates.
Anyway, these are some final thoughts that I felt would be good to share.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Our group presentation, and my personal one
Our group presentation was a Jeopardy game, in which we asked questions about the mountain. We had four categories, The Bible, Frye 1, Frye 2, and Literary references. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find a way to embed the program, so you won't get a download for it. Sorry! But our questions focused mainly on the different aspects of the Mountain, such as how it is a natural symbol, how it is representative of the "U" shape Frye believes the Bible follows, and how ascension of the Mountain brings man closer to God and the kerygmatic.
My presentation was about how Battlestar Galactica, the reimagined TV Series, is a modern interpretation of the Bible. As I'm sure you wouldn't enjoy reading a paper, I'll try to lay it out in a more entertaining fashion:
So, first there are the easy parallels. Between the characters, we have figures of Moses in Laura Roslin (the dying leader/prophet), Paul is Saul Tigh (a military commander that persecutes Cylons, then finds he is one), and Gaius Baltar as Satan, just to name a few.
Also, the basic storyline follows that of Genesis and Exodus: There is a fall from Paradise (Kobol), and then the Twelve Tribes - like those of Israel - travelled out to new lands - in this case worlds - to continue their ways. Then came an exodus from those worlds, at which point they lived in the wastes - outer space - for several years, endured many hardships, then came to the Promised Land. Oh, and their leader died right when they reached it.
However, the storyline also follows the basic comedic style of the Bible, the "U." This happens in almost every episode - high at the beginning, then a catastrophe causes a fall, but they overcome it and reach a high point at the end - but so does the main plot points. They begin in paradise, but fall, then they rise to prominence on their twelve worlds, but those twelve worlds are laid waste by the Cylons, so they had to leave, but they found a new planet to inhabit, but the Cylons found them there too and the humans were enslaved, and there was another Exodus, and then they found Earth, and they populated the land and interbred with the natives (which were humans, just 150,000 years ago, but still homo sapiens). Notice the parataxis? Of course you did.
Anyway, we can also find it in the symbols: the mountain, garden, cave, and furnace. The characters experience epiphanies upon alighting on the Mountains of Earth, they inhabited the Gardens of Paradise (Kobol in actually in a couple episodes, and is pretty much a jungle) they drifted through the Cave of space, and they were purged through the Furnace of war and some nebulae.
Another point I talked about concerned the kerygmatic. Professor Sexson often said that the kerygmatic answers the question: "How can I live a fuller life?" The Bible attempts to answer this question. Battlestar Galactica asks the same question, but in a different form: "Why should humans survive?" This series provides no tangible solution, but you are left with a feeling that you understand why we should survive. The characters also undergo this kerygmatic process; upon reaching earth, each human goes out and finds his needful thing. For some, it's a spouse; for others, it's a nice, quiet farmstead. For Bill Adama, the Joshua or military leader, it's a cabin up on the mountain that his lover wanted to build.
Anyway, I would strongly recommend Battlestar Galactica to anyone, even if only for the cultural experience. For, as Frye says on page 97 of Words with Power, "The many religions of the world... accept a specific mythological background and then translate it into a conceptual doctrine that is to be believed (quid credas). Belief then bears fruit in the actions and lifestyle of the believer (quid agas)." Battlestar certainly covers those, as it affects many actions and lifestyles:
Not to mention, Battlestar completely revolutionized distribution practices, and thus makes it a fascinating economic study as well.
My presentation was about how Battlestar Galactica, the reimagined TV Series, is a modern interpretation of the Bible. As I'm sure you wouldn't enjoy reading a paper, I'll try to lay it out in a more entertaining fashion:
So, first there are the easy parallels. Between the characters, we have figures of Moses in Laura Roslin (the dying leader/prophet), Paul is Saul Tigh (a military commander that persecutes Cylons, then finds he is one), and Gaius Baltar as Satan, just to name a few.
Also, the basic storyline follows that of Genesis and Exodus: There is a fall from Paradise (Kobol), and then the Twelve Tribes - like those of Israel - travelled out to new lands - in this case worlds - to continue their ways. Then came an exodus from those worlds, at which point they lived in the wastes - outer space - for several years, endured many hardships, then came to the Promised Land. Oh, and their leader died right when they reached it.
However, the storyline also follows the basic comedic style of the Bible, the "U." This happens in almost every episode - high at the beginning, then a catastrophe causes a fall, but they overcome it and reach a high point at the end - but so does the main plot points. They begin in paradise, but fall, then they rise to prominence on their twelve worlds, but those twelve worlds are laid waste by the Cylons, so they had to leave, but they found a new planet to inhabit, but the Cylons found them there too and the humans were enslaved, and there was another Exodus, and then they found Earth, and they populated the land and interbred with the natives (which were humans, just 150,000 years ago, but still homo sapiens). Notice the parataxis? Of course you did.
Anyway, we can also find it in the symbols: the mountain, garden, cave, and furnace. The characters experience epiphanies upon alighting on the Mountains of Earth, they inhabited the Gardens of Paradise (Kobol in actually in a couple episodes, and is pretty much a jungle) they drifted through the Cave of space, and they were purged through the Furnace of war and some nebulae.
Another point I talked about concerned the kerygmatic. Professor Sexson often said that the kerygmatic answers the question: "How can I live a fuller life?" The Bible attempts to answer this question. Battlestar Galactica asks the same question, but in a different form: "Why should humans survive?" This series provides no tangible solution, but you are left with a feeling that you understand why we should survive. The characters also undergo this kerygmatic process; upon reaching earth, each human goes out and finds his needful thing. For some, it's a spouse; for others, it's a nice, quiet farmstead. For Bill Adama, the Joshua or military leader, it's a cabin up on the mountain that his lover wanted to build.
Anyway, I would strongly recommend Battlestar Galactica to anyone, even if only for the cultural experience. For, as Frye says on page 97 of Words with Power, "The many religions of the world... accept a specific mythological background and then translate it into a conceptual doctrine that is to be believed (quid credas). Belief then bears fruit in the actions and lifestyle of the believer (quid agas)." Battlestar certainly covers those, as it affects many actions and lifestyles:
Not to mention, Battlestar completely revolutionized distribution practices, and thus makes it a fascinating economic study as well.
Notes for the Final
Group 1: Mountain 1
1. What is their spirit animal?
A- "7-horned" buck
Group 2: Garden 1
1. How does Frye suggest the original Adam was constituted?
A - Both male and female
Group 3: Cave
1. What is that which makes the descent into the Cave worthwhile?
A- Gnosis - Greek word for a "knowledge that provides transcendence or salvation:
Group 4: Furnace
1. What does Frye align with destruction and annihilation?
A - Creativity
Group 5: Mountain 2
1. Where did the Grinch have his epiphany?
A - At the top of Mount Crumpet
Group 6: Garden 2
1. What does Frye say that nature is?
A - symbolically maternal
From Presentations
1. How many mitzvots are in the Old Testament?
A- 613
2. What is the name of the first film in the Bergman trilogy?
A- Through a Glass Darkly
3.Janeism - total believer in the sanctity of all life. Most extreme form of ethical religion.
From Bible
We will test on the Book of Luke, John, the first letter to the Corinthians, and the Book of Revelation.
1. What is their spirit animal?
A- "7-horned" buck
Group 2: Garden 1
1. How does Frye suggest the original Adam was constituted?
A - Both male and female
Group 3: Cave
1. What is that which makes the descent into the Cave worthwhile?
A- Gnosis - Greek word for a "knowledge that provides transcendence or salvation:
Group 4: Furnace
1. What does Frye align with destruction and annihilation?
A - Creativity
Group 5: Mountain 2
1. Where did the Grinch have his epiphany?
A - At the top of Mount Crumpet
Group 6: Garden 2
1. What does Frye say that nature is?
A - symbolically maternal
From Presentations
1. How many mitzvots are in the Old Testament?
A- 613
2. What is the name of the first film in the Bergman trilogy?
A- Through a Glass Darkly
3.Janeism - total believer in the sanctity of all life. Most extreme form of ethical religion.
From Bible
We will test on the Book of Luke, John, the first letter to the Corinthians, and the Book of Revelation.
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