Circe Poetry Analysis Essay

Sisyphus Mythology Presentation

Close Reading Chart

Group 4 Scene Rationale

Rationale:
 

This passage very well reflects our global topic of distinctions between what is universal and what is historically or culturally specific. It also reflects our group topic, the influence of the supernatural on the meaning of a work as a whole. In the scene we chose, lines 254-300, Troy recounts his encounter with the Devil. However, he convinces nobody, not even the reader, that was actually the Devil. He describes him as a well dressed, white man with a clipboard. Devilish huh? Anyways, he goes on to recount how he agreed to pay the Devil if he would provide him the credit to purchase three rooms worth of furniture; he had been turned down because of a lack of credit at the store. He is required to pay the Devil 10 dollars a week. That’s all. However, this white man wasn’t depicted to be the Devil in any way other than Troy’s retelling.

 

This brings us to our world education, distinctions between what is universal and what is historically or culturally specific. It’s plausible to assume that Troy called this man was the Devil because of the period he lives in. He’s African, in a period in which whites and blacks weren’t exactly buddy-buddy. It is because of this historical period and the way Troy was brought up that he assumes this man was the Devil. After all, Troy had only lived in his house for three days and this man just showed up to offer him credit. Not something you’d find in his time period, and accurately represents Troy’s belief system and how he was raised.

 

On top of reflecting the universal theme, the scene also reflects our group idea about how the preternatural affects the meaning of a work. In the whole scene, Troy talks about how the Devil came to him with a deal. In traditional storytelling, the hero would reject the deal with the Devil and come to find an inner strength. This is not the case with Troy. He breaks this stereotype and agrees to take the “Devil’s” deal and furnish his house. This creates an interesting paradox seeing as he’s a Christian man and is constantly on the lookout for Death. His agreeing to the Devil’s proposal seems to go against his belief system yet he does it anyways.

Ryan Wiemers

I thought that your topic was very intriguing. You shared that women have had an increasing role in society in the past century, and I agree that the war had a lot to do with this fact. With men away at war, the women had to provide for their families. They then kept these jobs and their roles shifted. This will eventually lead to women fighting in wars in todays times. It is crazy how far things have come as far as this topic goes in the past century.

Emily Wey

You brought up many very interesting points during your fishbowl discussion. Some of these include the fact that civil disobedience played a significant role in the succesful desegregation of society. You said that things may be different if the violent approach were taken. You also asked if Martin Luther King werent around at the time, would the movement be unproductive and perhaps violent? I had never considered this perspective and it kind of made me think about how things could have been completely different now.

Fences Fishbowl Blog Discussion: Use of Supernatural Symbols in Literature (Heaven/Hell)

Source #1-

"Supernatural Elements in Macbeth." Supernatural Elements in Macbeth. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.

In William Shakespeare's Macbeth and Hamlet, the supernatural is used for many reasons. It serves as a catalyst for action and provides insight into characters. It appears in all sorts of forms, including: a ghost, a floating dagger, witches, and prophetic apparitions. Shakespeare's contemporaries (King James I) had a strong belief in the supernatural. They were also frightened by it. This caused the play to gain so much popularity as it was a controversial topic at the time, and still is.

Source #2-


"Supernatural in Shakespeare's Plays." Supernatural in Shakespeare's Plays. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.


In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the supernatural is the guiding force behind Hamlet. The ghost is telling him what to do and dictates his actions. He asks Hamlet to seek revenge for the King's death and as a result, Hamlet carries out a series of actions that end in his death.


Source #3-

"Plot Summary." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
 

The movie What Dreams May Come is about a man who dies and goes to heaven, where everything is perfect. He later finds out that his wife is in hell for committing suicide. He risks spending an eternity in hell to get his wife out and bring her to heaven. This, being a controversial topic, brought a new perspective to what comes after death and the supernatural as a whole.

 

How Social Entrepreneurship is Putting a Stop to the Ignorance of Global Issues

Powerpoint on Social Entrepreneurship and how it is putting a stop to the ignorance of poverty: