The Inferno/ Continuing Gulliver's Travels

We have started to learn about Dante's Inferno; this is a slide Mrs. Olson put together over Dante. After reading the slide we learned that Dante created the Inferno to get back at the people who banished him rom Florence. In the Inferno there are 9 circle of hell. Our next project as a class was to created a slide showing the 9 circles. Click here to see it. (I created circles 3 and 4 slides). Hope you find it interesting!

Image from http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2009/01/books-1.html

Back to Gulliver's Travels

This is our second to last blog over our book and I'm a little more than halfway done. So, this blog will be short so that I can started reading the rest. He has yet to go to the last 2 places. 

He is now and Brobdingnag were he is very small compare to the rest of the population. He is also seen as simple just like how Gulliver viewed the Lilliputians. He goes on a few adventures but nothing too significant.

To me, the size of the people relate to the knowledge they know and how they're seen. Where the Lilliputians fought over dumb things the people of Brobdingnag never fight at all. It's quite interesting so I need to read now. The rest of the book is to come in my next blog. 

Criteria of an Epic ~Does the Iliad and Aeneid have these Characteristics?

"Man, the Iliad and Aeneid are totally epic!" Exclaims one student. A smart alec replies, "and it follows the basic criteria of an epic too!"

Image from http://www.misswit.net/smartalec

An epic is defined as a long poem, derived from ancient oral tradition, telling the adventures of heroic/ legendary figures of the history of a nation. The two epics we read in class were the Iliad and the Aeneid. To put them in this category of a epic, a piece must have certain traits. It must start in the middle, be vast in its setting, have a hero who is usually seen as much greater than the average person, include gods or other supernatural elements, and written in a very formal language. So, this blog will be analyzing these two pieces and recognizing their epic characteristics. 

First off, let me give you a sum of the epics. The Iliad was about the Trojan battle over Helen. It starts with the meeting of Hektor and Andromache before Hektor went off to battle. They show their love for one another and you get the impression that Hektor is a very good guy. During the battle, Hektor kills Achilleus's nephew, because he thought he was Achilleus. Achilleus confronts Hektor and demands to fight (Achilleus is fuming mad). FYI, Hektor is the great warrior for Troy and Achilleus is the best warrior from Greece. After unsuccessful talking from Hektor, they're about to fight but Hektor starts running away. The gods are watching this and they each cheer for a side. Any-who, Hektor gets trick to fight and so they battle. He loses :(.  Andromache is crushed and she sees his corpse being dragged around. (They eventually get his body back, and he's given a proper funeral.)

Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliad

The Aeneid was about a Trojan warrior, Aeneas, who meets the Queen of Carthage, Dido (a widow). She is struck by cupid's arrow and falls deeply in love with him. She is consumed in her love and she's not getting anywhere as queen. So, the god, Juno, marries them and they are happy. Until Aeneas is reminded he needs to go found Rome. (Gods are all involved in these reminders and such.) So he makes a plan to sneak away but she catches him and begs him not to go. He refuses to stay no matter what so Dido is left to her sorrow. She then kills herself. Yeah, I know, tragic stuff. Though, there is other little bits that I'll mention later, but I'm just giving you the sum now.

Image from http://watchingtheworldwakeup.blogspot.com/2009/02/darwin-aeneid-and-days-of-our-lives.html

Those are the two epics, and now it's time to find their traits! Do both of these start in the middle? Yes! The Iliad starts in the middle of the war over Helen between the meeting of the couple. The Aeneid starts with the meeting of Dido and Aeneid, who retells how he came to Carthage. Next question, are their settings all over the world? No and Yes! The Iliad just takes place in Troy, so it's an exception! The Aeneid is because he has traveled from Troy to Carthage, and later to Rome. That was a lot of traveling back then! Do they have heros who are greater than the average person? Yes! The Iliad has Hektor and Achilleus who were both great heros, depending on which side you were for, who were seen as god-like. Achilleus was even said to have been dip in god-liquid and that's why he was so great! The Aeneid had Hektor who once carried is father on his back to safety. Another heroic trait people saw of him was that he went to start Rome instead of accomplishing his own needs with Dido. Do the epics include gods or super natural elements? Oh my goodness, yes!! Gods were interfering so much in the lives of the characters! Athene was the goddess who trick Hektor to stop running and fight Achilleus, I believe she knew he would die. In the Aeneid, the god, Juno married the two; later another god came to Aeneas and reminded him to found Rome. And are the pieces written in a formal language? Yes! They are both poems that are written lavishly. Here are examples from each:  Iliad- "But what pleasure is this to me, since my dear companion has perished."Aeneid- "Sorrow too deep to tell, your majesty/ You order me to feel and tell once more."

In conclusion, the Iliad and the Aeneid are epics because of the traits listed above. I found these epics to be depressing and everything I didn't want happen, happened. If you would like to know more about the Aeneid, there is a RWLD on this website. My reflection on the RWLD will be in the next paragraph.

I felt the Virgil was a very good writer and he influence people a lot. This surprised me a little that it happened in the artwork because I didn't think the two connected at first. I found it interesting that my mom knew him from inspiring works of art. I found the paintings and sculptures to be really pretty and they definitely captured the feeling. Though, the pieces seem to display it in a better/ more beautiful light, and not in the sad and depressing manner. There was only one art piece I can remember seeing that was of Dido crying. Anyway, the RWLD was interesting and I enjoyed the chapter even if I didn't like the pieces.

Finishing this Adventure: Chapters 6, 7, and 8.

Now that there is peace between Blefuscu and Lilliput, things are pretty quiet. That is until Gulliver seems to anger some of the people of Lilliput. One of these being Skyresh Bolgolam. Gulliver,  in my opinion, didn't really do anything, the people are just trying to find a reason to hate him. So, the Lilliputians plan to call treason to Gulliver. The consequences being, either blind him, or kill him with poison or fire. A faithful friend of Gulliver tells him this so he goes away to Blefuscu. He finds safety there and favor with the people. One day, he finds a boat and plans to leave to go back home. When the time is ready he leaves and the Blefuscians are kind of relieved (he's been eating lots of food). He travels out and is picks up by a larger ship which returns him home.

Image from http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/ndsu/news/magazine/vol04_issue01/coming_home.shtml

Finally Gulliver is home. I believe it was hard for him to get home without favor from the people so he could acquire food. Though, he was building a lot of this and I believe he could have made a boat in the many months he was there. He was eating there food so rapidly that I wonder how they weren't getting mad at him for that. 

Overall view of "small countries (Lilliput & Blefuscu): Hospitable but little bit leery, simple, silly. 

The simplicity is shown by their smallness.  

Chapter 3, 4, & 5: Apart of Lilliput

Gulliver has been a good captive for the Lilliputians and has gotten favor from most of the people. They put on a show for him, which was like tightrope walking. There had been some fatal accidents from their participation in this activity, but Gulliver fixed by using his handkerchief as a net for them.

Image from http://www.entkent.com/Cawthorne-Cooksey.html.

By being such a easy-going captive they decide to give him his freedom as long as he signs the Lilliputians agreement. The agreement pretty much states that he shouldn't kill Lilliputians or destroy their things. He must also be on their side in the the war against Blefuscu. He agrees to this but doesn't think he should be involved in a foreign war which started over what side to crack and egg. No joke! Thats what these two peoples are fighting over. But since he has agreed he must fight against them. So, he takes the Blefuscusians ships that were about to attack Lilliput and bring them to the Emperor of Lilliput. Which pretty much seems to end the war between them. Gulliver finds that the Blefuscusians aren't really that bed as the Lilliputians say, which isn't any surprise. 

Chapter 1 & 2: Arriving in Lilliput

Lemuel Gulliver makes his living through traveling, but during one voyage he becomes shipwrecked and is washed to an island where he falls asleep. He awakes to tiny people all around him, speaking a language he does not know. He tries to get up but is tied down and shot at with tiny arrows that sting. He is brought to the tiny people's Emperor who is kind to him by giving as much food and water they can allow. Though, he still isn't let go.

He is then taken closer to the small village/city and is given his own space, still tied up. People are assigned to him to teach him their language, make him clothes, and check his pockets. He's making quite a spectacle for his large size compared to the normal citizen of Lilliput.

Images from http://www.bookdrum.com/books/gullivers-travels/9780141439495/bookmarks.html

Thoughts of Starting Gulliver's Travels

I have heard much about Gulliver's Travels in that there is a big man in a small world, but I'm sure that's not all the the book, and I'm interested in seeing what this whole things about. I think he goes to a few other worlds in which he is very small, very wise and very ignorant. After looking up a little of the book I found that each place represents something and shows significance to government. This book is also found as a satire. Here is a website I look at to get a basic understanding of what I'm about to read. I think this will be a great book to read and a little challenging since it was published in 1726.

Image from http://northshorekid.com/event/gullivers-travels-1939

This is what most imagine when they hear Gulliver's Travels.

Final Look at Brave New World

So, I figured out that I'm totally done with the last book, Brave New World, so this will be the last thing I say about it.

The ending was sad with John's death, but with so many disappointments throughout the book I was indifferent. Also, this way it was more realistic. Brave New World was about achieving happiness through ignorance and pleasure, it kind of reminded me of Substance, a figure in a piece of Chinese literature we read in class last week. Substance believed that since we will die we should, "drink wine" when we have it. Which is sort of like the BNW's theory that when you want someone you can have he/she, no huge waiting involved. Well, patience is a virtue.

I would probably recommend this book to people who want an interesting concept to think about and has an opened mind. I didn't find it difficult to read either, so if you're up for a book, consider Brave New World.

Image from http://www.american-buddha.com/brave.world.htm