Blog #4 Travel, Religion, and Encounters

Tang poetry, as well as The Classic of Poetry, were both well integrated into people’s lives.  The (typically) short verse and descriptive style were indicative of how people viewed poetry at the time.  Essentially everyone was well educated in the world of poetry and could easily come up with an eloquent poem on the spot, and often times this was the preferred method of communication.  Often, when people of the times were faced with tough situations or didn’t know how to articulate themselves, a poem would be written, as it was easier to convey their thoughts, emotions, and feelings this way.  I find this incredibly fascinating because although we today may believe that we’re not capable of using poetry in replacement of words, I feel like there are some modern connections that make these time periods similar.  For example, we often turn to platforms like blogs, diaries, and letters to write out some of our deepest emotions.  Even in today’s times, we turn to a form of literature in lieu of direct communication.  However, what makes pieces from Tang poetry and The Classic of Poetry so different from today is how packed with substance their poems are while being so concise and simple at the same time. In the poem, “Gentle Girl” in The Classic of Poetry, the first stanza reads “A gentle girl and fair/ awaits by the crook of the wall;/ in shadows I don’t see her;/ I pace and scratch my hair.” (762).  This stanza is all description and imagery, without any sort of reflection, yet the emotion of the poem is captured perfectly. The nervousness and angst of the character in the poem are demonstrated by describing the pacing and the fact that he couldn’t see this woman in the shadows.

Additionally, people of all backgrounds and statuses had their voices heard in these poems, which is something very unusual and forward for the time.  For example, the poem “Plums are Falling” in The Classic of Poetry is written from the female perspective.  This poem describes the struggle of a woman who hopes to have a decent man as a husband.  This is incredibly refreshing as we get to hear the woman’s side of the story during this time period. And by reading this poem, it’s evident that she doesn’t have a choice in the matter of marriage or love, so one has to rely solely on hope to get a decent partner for the rest of their life.  The first stanza states, “Plums are falling,/ seven are the fruits;/ many men want me,/ let me have a fine one.” This emphasizes the fact that they were essentially looked at as just another stepping stone in a man’s life, as many were after this woman.

World Lit Blog #3 “Love, Marriage, and Faith”

The Tale of Genji is a fascinating story of love that circles around a perfect leader, yet beneath the story of love is also a story of immense internal struggle. This internal struggle is prevalent with almost every single woman who holds a major role in the story. Murasaki was incredibly intelligent to make this story center around a man of unrivaled charm and character. However, she arguably has ulterior motives when it came to creating her work.  The Tale of Genji reached far and wide, touching an incredible amount of readers including those of today.  Having a male protagonist ensured that her book wouldn’t be overlooked, but this story arguably contains the women at center-stage.  Even though Genji is a complex character, it is simply impossible to ignore the women and what they face.  Murasaki uses The Tale of Genji to emphasize the oppressive atmosphere that suffocated women, where they could not advance or make choices of their own without extreme punishment, resulting in a lost sense of identity.  Although wildly different in style and length, the Three Women Poets draw a connection to the tale of Genji as they touch on themes of infidelity, oppression, and identity or lack thereof.

The Tale of Genji spares no time in emphasizing this thematic thread as Murasaki writes of Genji’s upbringing and his family.  His father fell in love with a woman that logistically went against the grain of society.  But her lowly status wouldn’t stop him from making her the central figure in his life.  However, she is taunted by women rivals of the court because of jealousy and the fact that she was of a lower rank.  This jealousy proceeded for so long and at such intensity that it drove her to become ill and shortly die. “Once some women conspired to have both doors of a gallery she must pass bolted shut, and so she found herself unable to advance or retreat” (page 1383) displays one of the ways she was taunted by the women. One could argue that this furthers the patriarchal agenda of portraying women as overly dramatic and weak characters, which fits the stereotypical female (even in certain regards today), But I believe that the turmoil that came with the life of a woman resonated stronger with readers from all different time periods. To further this, Murasaki repeats the death of women in relation to grief, depression and/or jealousy throughout the whole Tale, which reinforces the seriousness of Murasaki and her view of women’s lives.  Aoi is killed during childbirth but is supposedly possessed by a jealous Rokujo. The constant pit of women against women til death emphasizes the life that they lived.  They were never allowed to take on interests or have any sort of independence which would’ve benefitted their sanity greatly, but when those women are so confined, all that they could freely was grieve, bully other women and become depressed.

The second poem from the Three Women Poems seems to draw the most emotional connection to The Tale of Genji. It describes the euphoria of being together, which actually contrasts Genji a bit, as women were often forced to marry, and very well may have never experienced the joy of love, but when the author contrasts that with the fact that the narrator has to “reap the bitter fruit” (1262) of broken faith, it shares the emotional grief that the women face.  In this poem, the women are taking the blow of heartache, similar to in Genji.  However, the women faced even more intense legal restraints as they had to live and grief with the fact that their husbands could legally take more lovers while they could be punished for the mere hint of another lover.  Unifying both these works, the women reap the heartache of their situation.

 

World Lit Blog- Unit 2: War, Journey, and Ethics

Although Oedipus The King and The Epic of Gilgamesh are completely different style works, the irony revolving around pride and ego are prevalent throughout both stories. There are similarities and differences in how irony and pride change these characters and the journeys they take that change them, which demonstrate the role that pride and self-centeredness play in the human condition, and what will happen if it consumes one. Gilgamesh and Oedipus both think incredibly highly of themselves, yet each goes through a journey that lets them see through a different lens.  For Gilgamesh, he is incredibly self-assured, which can arguably be needed in order to be a ruler, but in Gilgamesh’s case, pride and ego tend to be the only things that make him up. This god-like superiority complex is crucial to both characters. In fact, this is what sets the epic in motion, because if not for his ego, he would never garner complaints from citizens, thus never giving a reason to introduce Enkidu. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu acts as Gilgamesh’s counterpart throughout their journey and contributes much to the character arc of Gilgamesh.  Just Enkidu’s presence commences the change within Gilgamesh, as he’s never had to share the spotlight with anyone, and people such as the elders actually encourage Enkidu lead because of his experience. Furthermore, Gilgamesh learns to work with his counterpart, displaying even more change within a personality that seemed to have walls around it.  By the thick of the epic, Enkidu is the Robin to Gilgamesh’s Batman, and they work together seamlessly.  Unfortunately, these epics and tales can’t stay like this forever, which is why the death of Enkidu is so important to Gilgamesh’s character.  When he dies, Gilgamesh mourns for seven days straight and doesn’t accept that his dear friend is dead until he physically sees bugs crawling out of his corpse.  Ultimately, this seems to actually take him a few steps back, as now he’s obsessed with the idea of immortality and ventures on a quest to find it.  But ultimately, he comes back to Uruk without immortality and surveys the walls that he built, realizing that immortality can be achieved by leaving a lasting impression.

Oedipus’ character arc involving pride is a bit different, but the motif is just as present. Like Gilgamesh, Oedipus is a leader who is confident in himself and all the decisions that he makes. He vows to cure the city of its awful plague, and once he figures out that he must purge the man who killed Laios to do so, he becomes hellbent on searching. he vows to curse the killer with the most horrid and depressed life.  The difference between these two stories involving ego is the process of revelation.  The change is somewhat gradual in the Epic of Gilgamesh.  On the other hand, Socrates makes Oedipus unaware of his truth until the very ending, which provides very different journeys.  Oedipus’ character arc is possibly more frustrating because he is so enveloped in his own ego that he dismisses every possible link to himself throughout the entire play, whether it’s coming from Tiresias or Creon.  Although this plays into the suspense of the audience knowing Oedipus’ story, it also displays the danger of lettings one ego become so enlarged that it’s blinding.  By the end of the play, when the Oedipus realizes the truth, his emotions flow through him all at once, resulting in the impulse decision to gouge out his own eyes, but this is integral because it represents the character arc. He has gouged his eyes out and can finally see the truth now that he is stripped of his ego.  But while Gilgamesh was content with his findings of immortality, Oedipus’ situation disgusted himself.  These are stories with journeys so different, yet they both explore the human condition and what an overload of pride and ego can do to someone.

World Lit Blog – Unit 1: Stories of Creation

There were numerous themes present in the stories read about creation, but the role of colonization and expansion are motifs that connect to our world and the human condition today.  Although these pieces of literature are incredibly dated, there are comparisons that connect to our behavior today, emphasizing the fact that certain parts of the human condition will never change.  This may be why these stories are still circulated and enjoyed today.

Enuma Elish is a story of creation that highlights the early ideas of expansion. Specifically, that expansion was always the result of a conflict. For example, the creation of a city came from Tiamat’s body, and the creation of human came from the blood of Qingu.  There were tension and fights that ultimately led to the conclusions of using Tiamat and Qingu’s bodies to further expand their world.  The creator, Marduk is involved in many conflicts that he believes can be resolved by creating more cities, spaces, and forms which then become their own problems, and the cycle continues.  The Prose Edda also demonstrates these ideas. Earth itself is created from bloodshed as Odin slays Ymir and uses all of his body to create different parts of the earth. From the beginning of human civilization up to today, there are parallels of this all over.  In modern times, nations solve their problems by obtaining land, people and different kinds of property, which never lead to what is universally sought after: peace. Instead, it just aids in the cyclical process of resolving conflict with creation.

Although there is a clear connection to expansion and modern colonization, on a simpler level, these stories demonstrate a fundamental part of the human condition, which is that we can never be satisfied.  Do these stories of creation demonstrate that it’s impossible to achieve peace due to the fact that humans will never be content?

Another theme present is the relationship between Gods and mankind emphasizing the desire to classify and create a hierarchy. One could argue that the reason for creation at all is to put people into different categories.  Almost all the stories of creation are not only of the earth but of a hell-like place and heaven as well. Just the simple creation of earth separates mankind and gods, establishing a superior/inferior relationship. This relationship allows conflict to flourish, letting the Gods put blame on mankind in any way they see fit, just to justify their actions.  Tying into the theme of the expansion, creating classism is another way to add into the cycle of resolving conflict with expansion and colonization. The creation places separating mankind and the divine essentially force mankind to beg the divine for help, thus highlighting the hierarchy. However, the Prose Edda is a story that strays away from this motif, as most conflicts are held between the gods, representing them with humanistic qualities just like mankind.  This is in complete contrast with the ouvert classism in stories like Enuma Elish.  I believe that this demonstrates that although classism and hierarchy are themes spread through numerous creation stories, all stories innately connect one another. No matter how hard one tries to separate societies of gods and humans, there will always be the human condition that connects different sects of people.