Self & Society: British Lit @Hood College

I found it really interesting that Gulliver's main goal was to learn the language of the Houyhnhnms. He was so interested in these horse people. I'm not going to lie, I probably would be interested in them to because they aren't something that I would be used to seeing. Gulliver comes off very selfish because he leaves him pregnant wife to go on another voyage. Like, what kind of man leaves his wife, who is carrying their child, to sail across the sea? I know this book is suppose to be complete satire, but who is Jonathan Swift making fun of by making the house people 'smarter' than humans? That's kind of funny because I was once told that animals are way smarter than we might think.

I found the last trip that Gulliver went on to be a little disturbing. Especially the part when he finally gets home. He hates everyone so much and no longer refers to humans as such but calls them Yahoos.  He also neighs as he speaks and since he hates everything that looks like a Yahoo he is disgusted by his own family. There’s probably some reason he ended it the way he did but I don’t know what that reason is.

I'm a bit confused about specifically two things in this reading. The first is when Behn says, "I ought to tell you that Christians never buy any slaves but they give 'em some name of their own..." (2205). How exactly does that work? Unless I'm reading this wrong, this reads as if Christians are super in denial about slavery. The second thing that confuses me is at the bottom of 2205, where we're told that the slaves that Oroonoko comes across are the very same slaves he sold into slavery, yet here they are throwing themselves at his feet? Why would they do this? I do have to say that calling Oroonoko Caesar is basically foreshadowing of when the slaves betray him later on in the story and his fate of death. Also, the ending of this story is giving me some serious vibes of Braveheart , what with the disembowelment, draw and quartering, and the refusal to live in under the rule of another. .gif from Braveheart (http://media1.giphy.com/media/m12GiqBQywgbS...

While reading the second half of "Oronoko," I admit that I had trouble following the story at times. However, I feel that despite that problem, I was able to understand the main points that the author is trying to get across. The idea of a noble man and his wife, expecting a child, constantly tormented by the idea of being in servitude is upsetting, to say the least. Especially with the heartbreaking end to which Oroonoko and his wife are met. I understand that the author is trying to convey the brutality of slave masters, which I feel she did pretty well, but I found myself lost and sometimes troubled by the way she seemed to often objectify Oroonoko, making him seem like a valuable commodity that would be even more valuable if he was free. I wonder what points were supposed to really resonate with white women.

"Oroonoko kills Imoinda" from the program of a 1776 performance of the stage adaptation by Thomas Southerne. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_savage       It is interesting to not that Trefry only takes serious interest in Oroonoko after learning he spoke English and noted his physical appearance (already summarized as "only issue is his color"). Only when he learns of Oroonoko's status as royalty does Trefry express genuine sympathy and indignation at Oroonoko's enslavement (page 2204).      As good as the intention behind the writing is, this means of generating sympathy is problematic. It places the emphasis of value on ways an individual is "more like a white person" rather than emphasizing the humanity of Africans as a whole. It is easy to see the progression from "this individual who has learned European languages and has facial features that do not look like the stereotype is worthy" to the situation which caused the horror...

The demons argue about what their next move should be and I thought that Mammon's idea to build up Hell to be as beautiful and industrious as Heaven was pretty cute. I didn't think that any of the other demons would be on board with that plan, given that it seems like the easiest way to impress God and be rewarded with his forgiveness. Also, it doesn't seem very realistic... How are you going to put out a fire that consumes an entire lake? Hell is described as a huge bummer and to say that they can just clean it up and have it looking like Heaven seems like a stretch. However, the idea of corrupting an entire race that God loves the most, is definitely more of a plan to humiliate God. I had it in my head that humans already existed (because I thought angels were dead humans) so this part made a lot more sense to me when I realized that God hadn't yet created mortals. Are the original angels by God's side just spirits? Sorry for being ignorant :/  https://upload...

Though the wording and writing of this piece makes it challenging to read and understand, it gives it a beautiful twist and allows the reader to enjoy something other than modern English. I like the use of the biblical story. I am not particularly religious though I was able to understand and recognize the story of Adam and Eve. The idea that Satan and God are opposites goes along with how I've always viewed the two subjects. The way Satan was portrayed was clever and interesting. It seems like he may be the main character or person of the story. Generally in stories the main person is the good guy, Satan being the good guy would be very strange. Given that Satan is more commonly known as the bad guy, literally the Devil.

When Macbeth has the vision of the dagger it is very interesting to see how he reacts. He seems confused at first but not opposed to it. He actually asks to hold it. He is aware that it is a vision and that it is not real. He describes his mind as "feverishly excited", this implies that he wants to kill Duncan and that he is looking forward to it. He has this whole conversation with himself and ends up coming to terms with killing Duncan so that he can be king. I find this scene to be very interesting. The reader is able to know what Macbeth is thinking and understand him better.

The Pardoner's tale comes off as very religious. What caught my attention was when he said "Radix malorum est Cupiditas" (greed is the root of all evil) quoting the scripture 1 Timothy 6:10. He is a hypocrite because he admits to preaching for money. In todays time greed has become a big problem and many people think its the most important thing to have. This made me think of the saying "practice what you preach" and it shows that the Pardoner isn't doing that at all. I also wonder how many people are like this is the world today, especially pastors or ministers. https://www.google.com/search?q=money+hungry&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwinlNi80NLWAhVqCZoKHawECGMQ_AUICigB&biw=1920&bih=964#imgrc=BAoTNPIpt6NTtM:&spf=1506971009986

Hogges Tord https://englishtutorbournemouth.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/the-pardoner.jpg This whole passage reminded me of something that young people, like me, sometimes do on the internet where they try to outwit a person of faith and make them look stupid and foolish for believing in what they believe. They allow the person of faith to speak and explain themselves and then try to come back with a quick witted jab that will destroy the foundation of the person of faith's argument but really only attacks their cause and makes it look like less than what it is. This can be seen when the Host makes jokes about the Pardoner's request to "kisse the reliks everichon" (line 944). He worries about the tread marks and would rather take the Saint's testicles and "shryned [them] in an hogges tord!" (line 955). As you can see, he doesn't take the Pardoner's request seriously and makes him the laughing stock of the tavern.

The Pardoner explains that he is a hypocritical preacher and a con artist in his prologue and then goes on to tell a tale about sins. He identifies greed, gluttony, drunkenness, gambling and swearing. The story he tells is of three Flemish youngsters who learn that their friend was taken by Death and decide, in a drunken stupor, to go after Death and kill him. An old man points them in the direction of a tree where they find a bounty of coins. They send the third one off to fetch wine and bread so that they can sneak the gold in at night time. Both the two boys and the third plot to kill each other and all are successful; death takes each of them. This story reminded me of the Deathly Hallows story from Harry Potter, or at least that is the way I imagined the story looking in my mind. The Pardoner's version is more about how greed is the greatest sin, but he tells the pilgrimage that he sells fake relics and concludes his story by trying to sell them to the Host and accusing him o...

The Pardoner’s Tale Prologue introduces us to an unscrupulous representative of the Church who openly accepts “donations” from “sinners” in exchange for absolution with signed papal indulgences, and sells phony relics supposedly from saints, such as animal bones, to ward off the devil. He admits to his fellow travelers that these relics are in fact fake and the church papers not always legitimate. With a sermon that never varies, expounding on the evils of greed and covetousness, vices he himself practices, he admits to his companions that his only motivation is personal monetary gain. “My theme is alwey oon, and evere was—             Radix malorum est Cupiditas”. (333--334) He tells his tale of three young Dutchman who drink and revel. He goes into a rant into various vices: gluttony, drunkenness, gambling, and swearing, which he denounces as a graver sin than homicide. He then returns to the tale of the Dutchman. They hear that a friend was ...