When I had journeyed half of our life's way,
I found myself within a shadowed forest,
for I had lost the path that does not stray.
(Allen Mandelbaum)
I like this version of the first 3 lines, because of the image of the "shadowed forest". The fact that lines 1 and 3 rhyme gives the translation a feeling of rhythm.
Half-way upon the journey of our life
I roused to find myself within a forest
In darkness, for the straight way had been lost.
(Henry Johnson)
I like this version as well, because it conveys the feeling of how the narrator suddenly comes to a start, realizing that he is within a forest in complete darkness.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Dante's Inferno: Canto XI
"There are below this wall/three smaller circles, each in its degree/like those you are about to leave, and all/are crammed with God's accurst." (16-19)
This canto is less about describing Circle Six, which Dante and Virgil are now in, but more about giving a preview of the levels of hell yet to follow, and the sins that lead to them. Upon coming to the Sixth Circle, the two poets feel "the stink /thrown up by the abyss" (3-4), which is a metaphor for the foulness of hell and sin. Dante also mentions "a circle of great broken boulders" (2), which were supposedly formed by an earthquake that occurred in hell at Christ's death. This image is important, since it demonstrates that Christ's death for the sins of humanity affected even the lower depths of hell. Also, Dante seems to be undertaking his journey on Good Friday, the day when Christ was crucified, further emphasizing the Christian symbolism. More figurative language appears at the end of the canto, when Virgil compares the passage of time to the turning of a wheel, and personifies constellations, speaking of the "Fish...quivering low on the horizon" (114).
While Dante and Virgil attempt to get used to the "foul breath" (12) of the abyss of hell (which, as a personification, seems to almost make hell a living thing), Virgil tells Dante of the organization of the circles below them. The lower levels of hell hold the violent, as well as the fraudulent and malicious. What is interesting is that flatterers, thieves, and "evil counselors" are considered to have sinned more severely, than, for example, murderers, destroyers, and suicides. Virgil's justification of this logic is that, "since fraud/is the vice of which man alone is capable,/God loathes it most." (24) Apparently, Dante is hinting that animals are also capable of violence, but only humans can be deliberately malicious. However, violence for humans can also be deliberate and premeditated, so I do not really understand Dante's reasons for this subdivision of the lower circles.
Reading this canto, I realized how much Dante's definitions of sin differ from modern ones. For example, usury, or the lending of money with interest, is held to be an act of violence against nature. According to Virgil, this is because, by the will of God, humans were meant to work and prosper by imitating nature. It's possible that Dante thought that, since usurers made money on other people, they did not work honestly, though it's not clear why he didn't then put them in with the rest of the fraudulent.
Looking at The Inferno, I think that it provides an interesting perspective on the literature and beliefs of the Middle Ages, but its value is purely historical and aesthetic. The religious beliefs presented in it are too dated to apply to modern life. Also, Dante might have meant this poem to be somewhat satiric, as he mentions many historical and political figures of the time, outlining how each of them had sinned. In Canto XI, he mentions Anastasius the Pope, who supposedly accepted the "heresy" of the Greek church. Apparently, Dante did not check his sources too well, since he confused Anastasius II, the pope, with Anastasius I, the emperor, who actually accepted the Acacian heresy.
This canto is less about describing Circle Six, which Dante and Virgil are now in, but more about giving a preview of the levels of hell yet to follow, and the sins that lead to them. Upon coming to the Sixth Circle, the two poets feel "the stink /thrown up by the abyss" (3-4), which is a metaphor for the foulness of hell and sin. Dante also mentions "a circle of great broken boulders" (2), which were supposedly formed by an earthquake that occurred in hell at Christ's death. This image is important, since it demonstrates that Christ's death for the sins of humanity affected even the lower depths of hell. Also, Dante seems to be undertaking his journey on Good Friday, the day when Christ was crucified, further emphasizing the Christian symbolism. More figurative language appears at the end of the canto, when Virgil compares the passage of time to the turning of a wheel, and personifies constellations, speaking of the "Fish...quivering low on the horizon" (114).
While Dante and Virgil attempt to get used to the "foul breath" (12) of the abyss of hell (which, as a personification, seems to almost make hell a living thing), Virgil tells Dante of the organization of the circles below them. The lower levels of hell hold the violent, as well as the fraudulent and malicious. What is interesting is that flatterers, thieves, and "evil counselors" are considered to have sinned more severely, than, for example, murderers, destroyers, and suicides. Virgil's justification of this logic is that, "since fraud/is the vice of which man alone is capable,/God loathes it most." (24) Apparently, Dante is hinting that animals are also capable of violence, but only humans can be deliberately malicious. However, violence for humans can also be deliberate and premeditated, so I do not really understand Dante's reasons for this subdivision of the lower circles.
Reading this canto, I realized how much Dante's definitions of sin differ from modern ones. For example, usury, or the lending of money with interest, is held to be an act of violence against nature. According to Virgil, this is because, by the will of God, humans were meant to work and prosper by imitating nature. It's possible that Dante thought that, since usurers made money on other people, they did not work honestly, though it's not clear why he didn't then put them in with the rest of the fraudulent.
Looking at The Inferno, I think that it provides an interesting perspective on the literature and beliefs of the Middle Ages, but its value is purely historical and aesthetic. The religious beliefs presented in it are too dated to apply to modern life. Also, Dante might have meant this poem to be somewhat satiric, as he mentions many historical and political figures of the time, outlining how each of them had sinned. In Canto XI, he mentions Anastasius the Pope, who supposedly accepted the "heresy" of the Greek church. Apparently, Dante did not check his sources too well, since he confused Anastasius II, the pope, with Anastasius I, the emperor, who actually accepted the Acacian heresy.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Sartre's Life and Times
Facts:- Lived from 1905-1980.
- Sartre was born in Paris and spent most of his life there
- He was a professor of philosophy before joining the French Army at the start of World War II
- In 1940, he was captured by the Germans and spent a year as a prisoner of war
- Although he was not politically involved in the 1930's, Sartre became more committed to social reform after WWII. He never joined the French Communist party, but he sympathized with the movement.
- Sartre was distrustful of authority and institutions. It is for this reason that he declined the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964, saying, "It is not the same thing if I sign Jean-Paul Sartre or if I sign Jean-Paul Sartre, Nobel Prize winner. A writer must refuse to allow himself to be transformed into an institution, even if it takes place in the most honorable form." (Sartre.org : Biography)
- The theme of freedom shows up in many of his literary works. "No Exit" deals with the absence of freedom that results when living through other people. The play "Morts sans sepulture", translated as "The Victors" dealt with torture during the German Occupation, suggesting that, "even under torture and threat of death, one is free to choose; that this choice cannot be evaded, nor can it be made other than in utter loneliness; and that one is responsible for all its consequences." (Jean-Paul Sartre Biography)
- Sartre put great value on his mind, saying, "I’ve got a golden brain." (Existential Primer: Jean-Paul Sartre) However, he rejected his body, ignoring fatigue and pain, resenting the time he had to spend taking care of its needs, and recklessly using stimulants and mescaline.
YouTube video on Sartre's life and philosophy
Sources:
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
"No Exit" Response #2
The play reaches a high point on page 45, when Garcin says, "There's no need for red-hot pokers. Hell is--other people!” All three of the characters represent the existentialist idea of being-in-itself. They exist through other people's perception of them, and are tormented by the reflections of themselves that they see from others. It is particularly agonizing for all of them to watch (or imagine) how all memory of them is being erased, as the people on earth gradually forget them. As Inez says, "I feel so empty, desiccated - really dead at last. All of me's here, in this room" (29). When the people on earth no longer give any thought to the characters, they are left in hell, with horrifying images of themselves as killers and cowards, which they cannot accept.
Estelle, in particular, tries to hold onto her former image of herself by thinking of Peter. As she says, "All the time you're thinking "my glancing stream, my crystal girl," I'm only half here" (32). Estelle thinks that if someone on earth can view her as pure and crystal clear, she can also believe that she is not as bad as some of her actions, such as drowning her daughter in the lake. Garcin also needs the same thing - he desperately wants someone to believe that he is not a coward, that his life was not as pointless as it is starting to seem to him. For this reason, he tells Estelle, "One person's faith would save me. Will you have faith in me?"(39) Garcin needs someone to believe in him and reflect that image back to him. In existentialist terms, this is also being-in-itself, as Garcin and Estelle want to be defined by other people.
Something I also found interesting was why no one left when the door opened. Was it because none of the characters wanted to leave the relative security of the room? Or, possibly, because all of them were frightened of being left alone, where there would be no one to prove their existence.
Estelle, in particular, tries to hold onto her former image of herself by thinking of Peter. As she says, "All the time you're thinking "my glancing stream, my crystal girl," I'm only half here" (32). Estelle thinks that if someone on earth can view her as pure and crystal clear, she can also believe that she is not as bad as some of her actions, such as drowning her daughter in the lake. Garcin also needs the same thing - he desperately wants someone to believe that he is not a coward, that his life was not as pointless as it is starting to seem to him. For this reason, he tells Estelle, "One person's faith would save me. Will you have faith in me?"(39) Garcin needs someone to believe in him and reflect that image back to him. In existentialist terms, this is also being-in-itself, as Garcin and Estelle want to be defined by other people.
Something I also found interesting was why no one left when the door opened. Was it because none of the characters wanted to leave the relative security of the room? Or, possibly, because all of them were frightened of being left alone, where there would be no one to prove their existence.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
"No Exit" Response #1
So far, it is not really clear why Inez, Estelle, and Garcin are together in hell, though Inez suggests that this has been designed so that each one of them will act as torturer of the others. The depiction of hell is very ordinary, simply an ugly room. However, the closed door that traps the characters in the room also traps them in their own minds. At first, they try to convince each other and themselves that there is no reason they would be put in hell. However, they all seem very bitter about their deaths, especially Estelle, who sarcastically describes her sister "trying her best to cry" (11). Estelle has always perceived herself through other people's view of her, even watching herself talking in a mirror to make sure she had an idea of how others saw her (19). The fact that there are no mirrors in hell could be a reflection on the existentialist idea of existing simply for the sake of being. Estelle has always lived through others' view of her; now, she has to accept her being as something that exists of its own accord.
I think that what the characters "see" happening on the earth after their deaths could all be in their minds. Talking about his wife, Garcin states, "Oh, how she got on my nerves!" (12), while Estelle doubts that her sister's grief is sincere. To both of them, the opinions of other people matter greatly, even after their deaths, so they could be imagining what is happening, based on their insecurity about themselves.
I think that what the characters "see" happening on the earth after their deaths could all be in their minds. Talking about his wife, Garcin states, "Oh, how she got on my nerves!" (12), while Estelle doubts that her sister's grief is sincere. To both of them, the opinions of other people matter greatly, even after their deaths, so they could be imagining what is happening, based on their insecurity about themselves.
I see Hell as...
...Humanities class.
Heh, I'm kidding.
Anyway, the first image that comes to mind is the stereotypical burning wasteland, inhabited by demons and tormented souls. I think I also read somewhere that in Northern mythology, Hell was an empty place, freezing and covered with ice. Both places are desolate and surreal, stretching on forever. There is no exit, nothing ever ends or comes to a close.
I don't really believe in a literal Hell - I tend to agree more with the thought that you can create your own hell in your mind. This hell is much more mundane than the above images - it is like a thought you can't escape, or nagging doubts about something...
The image of Hell as a wasteland is somewhat romanticized. There is beauty in these images, even if it is a desolate one. Therefore, to make Hell an ugly place, it has to be as ordinary as possible, like the awfully decorated room in "No Exit". The room is interesting in that it doesn't allow the "guests" to change even the smallest detail, trapping them within the room and within their thoughts.
Heh, I'm kidding.
Anyway, the first image that comes to mind is the stereotypical burning wasteland, inhabited by demons and tormented souls. I think I also read somewhere that in Northern mythology, Hell was an empty place, freezing and covered with ice. Both places are desolate and surreal, stretching on forever. There is no exit, nothing ever ends or comes to a close.
I don't really believe in a literal Hell - I tend to agree more with the thought that you can create your own hell in your mind. This hell is much more mundane than the above images - it is like a thought you can't escape, or nagging doubts about something...
The image of Hell as a wasteland is somewhat romanticized. There is beauty in these images, even if it is a desolate one. Therefore, to make Hell an ugly place, it has to be as ordinary as possible, like the awfully decorated room in "No Exit". The room is interesting in that it doesn't allow the "guests" to change even the smallest detail, trapping them within the room and within their thoughts.
About me
If someone doesn't remember, my name is Oksana...
Some things I like, in no particular order, are reading, photography, swimming in the ocean, trees, computers...this is the first time I'm starting a blog, so posting about myself feels pretty strange.
I also enjoy learning foreign languages, I currently know Russian and English and am studying Spanish and Chinese.
Something many people don't know about me is that I'm a "tea addict". I think it is the best drink ever; I have several cups of hot tea every day and like trying new kinds of tea. :P
Some things I like, in no particular order, are reading, photography, swimming in the ocean, trees, computers...this is the first time I'm starting a blog, so posting about myself feels pretty strange.
I also enjoy learning foreign languages, I currently know Russian and English and am studying Spanish and Chinese.
Something many people don't know about me is that I'm a "tea addict". I think it is the best drink ever; I have several cups of hot tea every day and like trying new kinds of tea. :P
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