Author Archives: SANGEY LAMA

-What issues or ideas stuck with you from Wednesday’s class?

The idea that stuck with from Wednesday’s class was how Pope’s philosophy towards life, he thought that man shouldn’t go beyond what was given to him. He wanted people to understand that whatever has been created is Gods plan so we must know that it’s perfect and that man can be ignorant thinking otherwise, or to be thinking that man can be superior to God.

-What did you NOT understand?

I didn’t understand the words and how it was written. I had a really hard time while reading the first time so I couldn’t decipher the meaning to understand the overall text.

– How did class go for you?  What factors contributed to this?

Class went great for me as the professor and my fellow students explained each stanza very clearly which helped me understand the overall text. I think each student being assigned each stanza made it very easier for us to focus on one thing and not overwhelm us, so focusing on specific lines and specific stanza contributed to understand thing.

-How is Pope’s poem connected to the Scientific Revolution and/or the Enlightenment?

Pope’s poem says that man shouldn’t be arrogant to think that the earth and the world was made for him. He believed that man should stay on his lane and be content with what was given to him. However, the Scientific Revolution or the Enlightenment  played a huge role in doing the opposite, it was meant for exploration and to understand more of what man doesn’t know. Pope’s ideology was that if we don’t know somethings such as solar system and microscopic vision then God didn’t want us to know. Microscopes were invented then, and he argued that if God wanted us to see little things then we would have smaller eyes. If God wanted us to know that there were solar systems then we would have large eyes and we didn’t need to create telescopes.

-What are your ideas about scientific exploration? Are there any boundaries science shouldn’t cross?

I believe that human beings are natural explorers which is why we have been given an intellect and curiosity to do that. My ideas about scientific exploration is that it gives us an opportunity to learn beyond our imagination and to further discover the unknown. Some boundaries that science shouldn’t cross is creating technologies which would make humans depend fully on it and forgetting the simplicity of our planet.

-What is one line, image, or idea that has made an impression on you from “An Essay on Man”?  What about it resonates with you?

One line that has made an impression on me from “An Essay on Man” is, “Whose body Nature is, and God the soul” This line perfectly delivers the whole message of what Pope was saying in this poem. He believes that man and all the other creatures are part of a hierarchy in the nature and that we are all interdependent with each other. If we are body then God is the soul, without soul nothing would exist and it would all be meaningless.

Hi, my name is Sangey Lama. I recently graduated with an associates degree from City Tech and I am currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. If I had the gift of storytelling, I would probably pursue a career in filmmaking but I don’t, however my love for cinema continues and watching films is one of my favorite hobbies. One of my favorite films is “Persona” by Ingmar Bergman. When I was initially introduced to Ingmar Bergman’s cinema, I was captivated by the themes of his films which were all universal yet so personal. There is a quote in the film that goes, “The hopeless dream of being – not seeming, but being. At every waking moment, alert. The gulf between what you are with others and what you are alone. The vertigo and the constant hunger to be exposed, to be seen through, perhaps even wiped out.” As the usage of social media has increased we’ve been constantly seeking others’ opinions whether it’s a comment, likes, or etc on our posts. Our attention span has been intolerably small and being conscious and actually in the moment is very difficult. This quote has made me realize that in order to be truly yourself, one must not try to emulate others which social media generally tends to do, instead one must be present with consciousness in every action. This quote has also helped me realize the power of my choice as an individual toward my own lifestyle. This film has changed my perspective about some aspects of the world, it has taught me to listen to different ideas, views, still cooperate and respect one another especially in these day and age where people generally aren’t willing to listen to one another. More importantly, it has made me realize that instead of trying to better or change the world, one must first change or better themselves, the rest will follow and I am constantly trying to do that.