After discussing Waiting for Godot in class I believe even more so that Samuel Beckett is attempting to make a statement about religion. It seems that Samuel Beckett believes that religion is useless and repetitive and only really serves to keep people trapped in prison with out wall.
As previously stated the lone tree that is in the background I believe is representative of the cross. The whole play takes place around it, and none of the characters ever real accomplish anything or a achieve a real sense of individuality. Vladimir and Estragon constantly repeat each other; appear to be interpedently on each other for any kind of purpose, whether to need or to be needed. For Christians the cross is supposed to be the source for where we can come and meet God. In Waiting for Godot Vladimir and Estragon are constantly left waiting at the cross every day with the continuing promise that Godot is still coming. However when Godot does not show up he sends a boy who works for him instead. That boy works for Godot by taking care of his goats and his brother, who also works for Godot, by taking care of his sheep. It is revealed that Godot mistreats the brother who takes care of the sheep. This part of the play reminds me of the passage in Revelations that talks about God separating the goats from the sheep, the sheep being those who will receive a reward in the after life. I think Samuel Beckett might be trying to bring up the issue of why good things happen to bad people. It does often seem that those people who are good and upright tend to suffer the most. There are other smaller lines that support this idea. At one point I noticed Vladimir and Estragon talking as if they prayed to Godot and even ask for forgiveness.
I think it is important to attempt to understand works of art that demonstrate an opposition to religion. I know many Christians are opposed to this avoiding movies or music that makes statement they may not agree with. Not to say I’m in favor of submitting oneself to a barrage of vulgarity, but I believe it is important for Christians to at least be familiar with the beliefs of the world. Only when we truly understand people can we reach out to them to share our faith.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
"Waiting for Godot"
Although finding “Waiting for Godot” humorous at times I’m not sure I was able to understand the message the author was attempting to convey. One reason is that I’m not sure even he knew what message he was trying to convey. Most of the dialogue was sheer nonsense. The characters seem to constantly contradict themselves, and the play as a whole is cyclical.
Perhaps it is just because I am a practical theology major, but the only meaning I was able to pull from this play was a series of statements religious is nature. The whole play takes place in front of a single tree perhaps representative of the cross in Christian faith. By the end of the second act we can see that Vladimir and Estragon have been waiting at the tree for what seems like forever, each new day hearing that the next would finally be the day they meet Godot. This repetitive pattern might suggest that Samuel Beckett finds religion to be a series of useless repetitions that keep men trapped in the same place time and time again.
Another point I found interesting was the way in which the characters contradicted their words with their actions. Many times they talk about leaving and no longer waiting for Godot but never do. They frequently say they are about to do something but always remain sitting there. Vladimir claims that he is happier on his own but is never able to leave Estragon. I believe this is all tied into Estragon’s comments that he all of humanity. He represents the way in which people are mostly talk. Everyone wants good things but rarely has the will power to back that desire with real action. There are many simple solutions to the vast array of problems that plague our world today but attempting to unite people in solving one of them proves near impossible.
Perhaps it is just because I am a practical theology major, but the only meaning I was able to pull from this play was a series of statements religious is nature. The whole play takes place in front of a single tree perhaps representative of the cross in Christian faith. By the end of the second act we can see that Vladimir and Estragon have been waiting at the tree for what seems like forever, each new day hearing that the next would finally be the day they meet Godot. This repetitive pattern might suggest that Samuel Beckett finds religion to be a series of useless repetitions that keep men trapped in the same place time and time again.
Another point I found interesting was the way in which the characters contradicted their words with their actions. Many times they talk about leaving and no longer waiting for Godot but never do. They frequently say they are about to do something but always remain sitting there. Vladimir claims that he is happier on his own but is never able to leave Estragon. I believe this is all tied into Estragon’s comments that he all of humanity. He represents the way in which people are mostly talk. Everyone wants good things but rarely has the will power to back that desire with real action. There are many simple solutions to the vast array of problems that plague our world today but attempting to unite people in solving one of them proves near impossible.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog
I really enjoyed watching Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog. Although I wasn’t I missed class I did watch the movie outside of class on my own. I am a fan of Josh Whendon and have wanted to see Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog for a while and was excited to find out that it was on hulu for free. Watching Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog has probably been my favorite assignment of the semester.
Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog begins with an internet video blog from Dr. Horrible, who is applying to be in the League of Evil. All the while he is attempting to impress the League and Bad Horse with his with evil cunning genius he struggles to talk to the girl of his dreams, Penny. During his first heist he accidentally brings his nemesis Captain Hammer together with Penny. Penny has no idea that Dr. Horrible is really the guy she begins to hang out with at the laundry mat. As Penny and Captain Hammer’s relationship progresses Dr. Horrible decides to kill Captain Hammer in order to keep him away from Penny and to impress the League of Evil. In the end his plan goes awry and instead of kill Captain Hammer his death ray malfunctions and kills penny instead. Dr. Horrible is heart broken and joins the League becoming truly evil.
I found the whole movie to be well written and incredibly comical. Making the movie a musical added significantly to the humor of the story. It was ironic at times to have characters singing the same song from opposing points of view, such as Captain Hammer and Dr. Horrible both singing “a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do” while one attempts to commit a crime and the other attempts to stop the crime. Throughout the movie Dr. Horrible can’t seem to catch a break where everything seems to go wrong for him. The way the movie is written however makes all of these tragic events appear comical. I think this is important for people to bring into their everyday lives. Things go wrong everyday and if you don’t have the ability to laugh it off you’re going to have a very miserable life.
One theme I found very interesting in the movie was the motivations of each character. Dr. Horrible, although attempting to do evil, did it with a desire to impress someone else. He was motivated by changing the world, self improvement and impressing the girl he was in love with. On the flip side, Captain Hammer, the hero of the story, was only interested in pleasing himself. He only helped others to gain more attention and glory for himself. I think Josh Whendon might have been trying to make a statement about who is really a ‘good guy’ in real life as part of this.
Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog begins with an internet video blog from Dr. Horrible, who is applying to be in the League of Evil. All the while he is attempting to impress the League and Bad Horse with his with evil cunning genius he struggles to talk to the girl of his dreams, Penny. During his first heist he accidentally brings his nemesis Captain Hammer together with Penny. Penny has no idea that Dr. Horrible is really the guy she begins to hang out with at the laundry mat. As Penny and Captain Hammer’s relationship progresses Dr. Horrible decides to kill Captain Hammer in order to keep him away from Penny and to impress the League of Evil. In the end his plan goes awry and instead of kill Captain Hammer his death ray malfunctions and kills penny instead. Dr. Horrible is heart broken and joins the League becoming truly evil.
I found the whole movie to be well written and incredibly comical. Making the movie a musical added significantly to the humor of the story. It was ironic at times to have characters singing the same song from opposing points of view, such as Captain Hammer and Dr. Horrible both singing “a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do” while one attempts to commit a crime and the other attempts to stop the crime. Throughout the movie Dr. Horrible can’t seem to catch a break where everything seems to go wrong for him. The way the movie is written however makes all of these tragic events appear comical. I think this is important for people to bring into their everyday lives. Things go wrong everyday and if you don’t have the ability to laugh it off you’re going to have a very miserable life.
One theme I found very interesting in the movie was the motivations of each character. Dr. Horrible, although attempting to do evil, did it with a desire to impress someone else. He was motivated by changing the world, self improvement and impressing the girl he was in love with. On the flip side, Captain Hammer, the hero of the story, was only interested in pleasing himself. He only helped others to gain more attention and glory for himself. I think Josh Whendon might have been trying to make a statement about who is really a ‘good guy’ in real life as part of this.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Lake Bonny Park
I went to Lake Bonny Park for this assignment, and I stayed there for at least 50 minutes.
Tuesday morning I woke up extra early at 6:30 a.m. to make my visit to Lake Bonny Park. Normally I do not enjoy getting up this early but I rather enjoyed it this time. Living on campus there is not a lot of space for personal or quiet time. I got to the park just after it opened at 7:00 a.m. and the whole time I was there I only saw one other person from a distance. I began my time at the park by walking around the walking path of 1.3 miles. What always grabs my attention about the Florida landscape is the vegetation. Although some are the same, the trees for the most part down here in Florida are very different from what I am used to back home in Massachusetts. I enjoy the tropical feel that even the palm trees on campus give. As I headed around the walking path I came to a barn where they were keeping livestock. I am curious why they are keeping livestock on the property as this is a state park and not a farm. I don’t see what the use of cows and pigs would be in such a place. In general the whole park was very quiet. After a little while sitting still I started to pick up on a few birds chirping that had recently woken. All the pigs and cows were still sleeping. I feel that up north the animals tend to wake earlier and at least the birds tend to be louder. My favorite part of my time at Lake Bonny Park was my 20 minutes or silent reflection. For this I went out to the end of the boardwalk over looking the water and sat down with my back against the railing. Lately I have been feeling very stressed out as a result of the high work load that comes at this time of the semester. I find myself having to run from one thing to the next just to make time for everything I need to do. Taking this time to practice paying attention to the world around me was the first real break I’ve had in a while.
The early morning sun barely tops the tree line
Giving just enough light to see
I am the first to wake
The first to see the world as it comes to light
Even nature has still yet wake
The whole world is quiet
I walk and take in the stillness of the world around me
Everything is still; quiet, and in its place
Just as if it were a picture
Steady slow foot steps on the board walk come to a stop
The cool breeze gently blowing across the top of the water
Tiny waves on the water rolling towards the west
Opposite the sun rises half covered in clouds
Tall grassy reads sway ever so slightly
Playing off one another natures music
The sun majestically reflecting off the surface of the water
As each bird begins to announce it was awoken
They call to each other back and forth
The day is about to begin
As each one heads off to work
Tuesday morning I woke up extra early at 6:30 a.m. to make my visit to Lake Bonny Park. Normally I do not enjoy getting up this early but I rather enjoyed it this time. Living on campus there is not a lot of space for personal or quiet time. I got to the park just after it opened at 7:00 a.m. and the whole time I was there I only saw one other person from a distance. I began my time at the park by walking around the walking path of 1.3 miles. What always grabs my attention about the Florida landscape is the vegetation. Although some are the same, the trees for the most part down here in Florida are very different from what I am used to back home in Massachusetts. I enjoy the tropical feel that even the palm trees on campus give. As I headed around the walking path I came to a barn where they were keeping livestock. I am curious why they are keeping livestock on the property as this is a state park and not a farm. I don’t see what the use of cows and pigs would be in such a place. In general the whole park was very quiet. After a little while sitting still I started to pick up on a few birds chirping that had recently woken. All the pigs and cows were still sleeping. I feel that up north the animals tend to wake earlier and at least the birds tend to be louder. My favorite part of my time at Lake Bonny Park was my 20 minutes or silent reflection. For this I went out to the end of the boardwalk over looking the water and sat down with my back against the railing. Lately I have been feeling very stressed out as a result of the high work load that comes at this time of the semester. I find myself having to run from one thing to the next just to make time for everything I need to do. Taking this time to practice paying attention to the world around me was the first real break I’ve had in a while.
The early morning sun barely tops the tree line
Giving just enough light to see
I am the first to wake
The first to see the world as it comes to light
Even nature has still yet wake
The whole world is quiet
I walk and take in the stillness of the world around me
Everything is still; quiet, and in its place
Just as if it were a picture
Steady slow foot steps on the board walk come to a stop
The cool breeze gently blowing across the top of the water
Tiny waves on the water rolling towards the west
Opposite the sun rises half covered in clouds
Tall grassy reads sway ever so slightly
Playing off one another natures music
The sun majestically reflecting off the surface of the water
As each bird begins to announce it was awoken
They call to each other back and forth
The day is about to begin
As each one heads off to work
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Poetry and Nature
In class on Tuesday myself and other group members voiced how we thought the authors of the poems we were discussing went to far in glorifying nature. One question raised was whether or not it was right for people to love nature on the same level they love other people. While talking with Professor Corrigan we came to the conclusion that we do have a responsibility of stewardship over God’s creation. However, many people take this too far and there are plenty of examples of people taking their devotion to nature to far. Some examples are PETA radicals breaking into department stores and throwing paint on the fur coats of rich old ladies, or crazy hippies living their lives chained to trees that are scheduled to be cut down. People can also go too far in the other direction wanting to cut down all the trees and build parking garages in their stead. Neither is a correct approach and moderation seems to be key to success.
Usually when nature is portrayed in poetry it is given a sense of nostalgia. A lot of people would agree with this associating nature as a simpler and more peaceful existence than the world we have built ourselves today. I however don’t buy into the idea that nature is full superior wisdoms and living a life highly in touch with nature is a better way of living. Not even the good old days were the good old days. Nature is harsh; people forget this because living with in civilization removes humans most often from the food chain. Perhaps we have lost some good aspects of life before industrialization took its hold over nature, but I enjoy living in a world where medicine and reliable food and shelter are available. I am aware that we are reliant upon nature for our own survival still today, but I still don’t think that we should assume that just because something is natural it is good. Dr. Davis illustrated this point in ethics class by saying “hug a cobra”.
Usually when nature is portrayed in poetry it is given a sense of nostalgia. A lot of people would agree with this associating nature as a simpler and more peaceful existence than the world we have built ourselves today. I however don’t buy into the idea that nature is full superior wisdoms and living a life highly in touch with nature is a better way of living. Not even the good old days were the good old days. Nature is harsh; people forget this because living with in civilization removes humans most often from the food chain. Perhaps we have lost some good aspects of life before industrialization took its hold over nature, but I enjoy living in a world where medicine and reliable food and shelter are available. I am aware that we are reliant upon nature for our own survival still today, but I still don’t think that we should assume that just because something is natural it is good. Dr. Davis illustrated this point in ethics class by saying “hug a cobra”.
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